


Mr. Boombastic

by Fleppy85



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 64,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24999652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fleppy85/pseuds/Fleppy85
Summary: The new detective turns heads, how is he connected to Sofia? And is Sara's mother really dead? Or is there an important fact about her past she didn't know of?
Relationships: Sofia Curtis/Sara Sidle
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Mr. Boombastic

Finding out the truth

There was this song for a jeans advertisement in the early nineties and this song shot itself in Sara’s mind when she saw the new detective. Tall, sporty, the right amount of muscles visible under the t-shirt, short black hair green eyes. To say it with the words of this song: Mister Boombastic!   
“This guy is hot!” Cath was sitting next to Sara and her eyes were on the new detective too. “If he wants, he can interrogate me all night long – in private.”  
“Same here.” Sara sighed. “Mister Boombastic.”  
“You mean, Mister Lover, Lover? Yes. He makes even Warrick look like an innocent school boy.”  
“What means a lot, especially when you say it.”  
“Warrick and me were never more than friends.”  
“Uhm-hum.” Sara smiled. Sure they weren’t. But everybody could feel the tensions around Warrick and Cath.   
“For this guy I could forget that you’re not suppose to fish at the work area. I mean, he’s a detective, not a csi, that should be far away enough…too far if you ask me.”  
“We have to make him switch to csi.”  
“I’m more than happy to teach him all the secrets of the job.”  
“Which secrets do you mean? And which job?” Sara smirked. The csi job or Cath’s old job as a dancer.   
“Well, I’m sure he’d be a perfect private dancer. Maybe I should offer a little lap dance. Didn’t do that in a few years.”  
“Ecklie will be delighted when you start to dance in the lab.”  
“Sara, I’m talking about private lessons. Lindsay is the next weekend not at home, I’d have all the time in the world.”  
“There he is, coming in.”  
“I wish.” Sara bopped Cath softly in the kidneys. It seemed like they had to fight over the new man around the lab.   
“Good evening, Ladies.” Wham, even his voice was pure sex. Smoky, like he had a few whiskeys and a cigarette with them. His eyes, both of them were on Sara and Catherine and Sara had no idea how Cath felt, but she felt like the temperature in the room had risen about twenty degrees since the detective was in the room. Or was it just her blood running around like crazy in her system?   
“Hi Steve.” Oh my goodness, what happened to her voice? She sounded like a teenager. How embarrassing.   
“A quiet night so far.” Steve leaned against the table, his eyes still on both women.   
“Yes, I wouldn’t mind if it stays this way.” Cath said.  
“A night without a crime in Vegas? Would destroy the reputation of the city, don’t you think?”  
“Sin city can be nice every now and then.”  
“We can hope. Anybody up for a breakfast later?”  
“Sure.” Cath and Sara said at the same time.  
“Sounds good.” He gave them a smile and left the room.  
Both women sighed. What a man. What a treat for the eyes.

Vegas didn’t stay that quiet. Later Sara and Cath were out on different cases. Sara caught a robbery on a side street of the Strip, Cath was out in the north. A gang had beaten two teenager unconsciouses.   
“Alcohol and cigarettes.”   
“What a combination.” Sara got back on her feet. She had kneeled on the floor, looking for fibers and traces. To her disappointment it wasn’t Steve who was waiting for her at the scene, it was Sofia. What a bad alternative. Sara bet Steve was with Cath and Cath wouldn’t let this chance slip away. She’d try to get a date with the hot new detective for the weekend and as far as Sara knew Cath, she always got what she wanted.   
“Worth killing for.” Sofia took another look around.  
“Is it?”   
“The clerk is still in a coma, they doubt he’ll make it. They got the money, the cigarettes and the expensive alcohol.”  
“Was it a gang?”  
“What does the evidence tell you?” Sofia smiled.  
“So far? Three bullets, one in the victim, two in the shelves, I haven’t finish processing, so there might be some more. A lot of broken glass, blood behind the counter, likely the victims, but I took several examples to make sure. A lot of fingerprints on the counter, what is no surprise, almost everybody touches the counter while they’re paying. Even if we get some hits on that, it will be difficult to prove they were related to the robbery. This is a busy shop.”  
“If we find the prints of a gang member on top of every other print, we’ll likely have a hit. What’s about the shelves?”  
“Haven’t looked there yet. It’s a kind of difficult to be fast when you’re working alone.” Greg was supposed to be with her but he didn’t feel good so Sara was on her own. Warrick and Nick were with Cath, Gil had his own case.   
“Want me to help?” Sofia offered.  
“You miss the lab work? Or are you bored?”  
“Neither of it. I took all the statements of the witnesses around, could have a walk around the place to find some more but it’s three in the morning, I guess most of the hotel guests who can see the shop are asleep or too busy with other things so that they won’t bother to look out of the window.”  
“Gloves are in my kit, so is the rest. Got some new green finger print powder.”  
“Green?” Sofia raised an eye brown.  
“Yeah, was a free example, Ecklie gave a set of it to everybody. Got a problem with that? Is green not your color?”  
“I can wear every color.” Sofia grinned and got herself some gloves.   
“It’s definitely the color of your new colleague.”  
“Steves? Why’s that?”  
“Don’t tell me you haven’t had a look into his eyes. Magic green. I didn’t know I’d go for green eyes, but wham, they are great.”  
“He’s a nice guy.” Sofia said simply.  
“Nice guy? Yeah. Hot.”  
“Do you forgot your work over him?”   
“No, he makes my work nicer. More exciting.”  
“Means you’re disappointed that you found me here and not him.”   
It would be rude to agree even if Sofia was right. Sara was sure there was a more polite way to say, she’d prefer Steve. But since when did she care if she was polite or not?   
“Well, you’ve got your good sides too.”  
“Really? Tell me about them.”   
“You can help me with finger prints.”  
“Oh.” Maybe Sara’s way of being as nice as possible wasn’t that nice at all. At least she had tried.

Sara was excited. She had a date. Well, kind of. She had asked Steve out for breakfast after shift, only him and her. It was a kind of hard to get to him without anybody around but she had managed. If Cath would find out, she’d kill Sara. But Cath had her change the night before when they were together on a case. Now was Sara’s time.  
She was sitting in a dinner, waiting for him. He was already five minutes late, but she’d wait for him. Even if he never really said, he’d be there. To be honest, he said, he doubted that he could make it but she was willing to give it a try. No matter how small her chance was.   
“Hey.”  
Sara couldn’t believe her eyes. That had to be a bad joke her eyes were her playing her. That wasn’t Steve. That person came not even close to Steve.  
“Sofia.” Why did she always end up with the blonde? What was wrong with this universe? She had asked for Steve, the hot handsome guy with the black hair and not for the annoying, smug blonde detective. Somebody must have messed up her order. That was worse than getting a meat lover pizza delivered.   
“Steve’s sorry, he couldn’t make it.”   
“I see.” Seems like he had the time to call Sofia. Or maybe they just met somewhere when he had to take off. After all, they worked in the same department, the same floor. It was only natural that they saw each other more frequently than Sara saw him. Wasn’t that another reason not to like Sofia? She was closer to Steve.   
“He could have called me.”  
“He had to go, I met him on the run. He couldn’t get you in the lab, didn’t have your cell phone number. So I figured you’d be already here.”  
“Thanks for stopping by.”  
“Can’t let you wait for hours.”  
“I wouldn’t wait for hours.”  
“Not even for Steve?” Sofia cocked her head. It was obvious she didn’t believe Sara.   
“No, not even for Mister Boombastic.”  
“Mister Boombastic?” Sofia chuckled.   
“Yeah, that’s what Cath and I call him. Can you remember this advertisement almost twenty years ago? For the jeans and the song, I guess it’s called ‘Mr. Boombastic’ and Steve reminds us of the hero in the ad.”  
“I won’t tell him.”  
“It’s not the best thing to tell him. We’re colleagues.”  
“And his ego is already big enough.”  
“Says the smug blonde.”  
“I’m not smug. Not that smug.”  
“Oh please, I saw you in the interview room last week with this guy, the burglar. First you let him think you’re the good cop, you were flirting with him and then you torn him apart into a million pieces to leave the room at the end, smiling, knowing, you had broken his whereabouts and his ego.”  
“That was quite a good job.” Sofia congratulated herself. She had enjoyed that interview. The guy had thought he had her in his hand to find out, she was playing him.   
The waitress brought them some coffee.   
“Cream?”  
“Yes please.” Sofia said.  
“Sugar?”   
“One please.”  
“Ma’am?” She looked at Sara.  
“Black please.”  
“Black is beautiful.”  
“In my opinion, cream only belongs into a good sauce and sugar in chocolate.”  
“That’s a way of seeing it. Are you always that strict? On only one lane?”  
Sara’s eyes narrowed. How was she supposed to understand that question? “What are you asking for?”  
“Do you give yourself the same rules in your private life as you have in the job?”  
“I don’t give myself rules, I simply know what I want and what I don’t want. And I want a plain black coffee. Any problems with that?”  
“No. I prefer a black coffee in the evening before I go to work.”  
“See.”  
“I’m not trying to insult you Sara, when I ask you a question. No need to shoot evil eyes at me. I don’t try to lure you in a trap.”  
“Never trust a detective who plays people all night to get what she wanted.”  
“I’m only playing the bad guys.”  
“Uh - hum.”  
“Did I ever play you?” Sofia’s face was serious.   
Sara didn’t really need to think. “No.” No, Sofia had never done anything that explained why Sara reacted that sensible to her. It was a strange for the investigator too that she was so simply annoyed with Sofia. It annoyed Sara that Sofia annoyed her so fast without doing anything.   
“Where is your colleague gone to?”  
“Mhm? Oh Steve. He got a call from Brass, had to go to a casino. Some drunk guys have tried to rip off a few machines and somebody tried to rob a roulette table while security was with the machine guys.”  
“The security cameras should show who it was.”  
“That’s the clue, the camera wasn’t working. Insider job.”  
“To rob a casino table isn’t the smartest thing. It takes a lot of time to open it. Should be easier to rob the cashier.”  
“I’ll give the message to the next stupid thief I’ll see. Should be tonight.” Sofia laughed.  
“And then you’ll get me with conspiracy. No way, I won’t let you catch me.”  
“You’re planning something?” Sofia cocked her head amused.  
“If I would, you’d the last person I’d tell about.”  
“I’m assaulted by your mistrust.”  
“You’re a detective.”  
“I’m sure you’d tell Steve to run away with him, living on a tropical island for the rest of your lives.”  
“Sounds good. I’m a fan of sex on the beach and tequila sunrise.”  
“Are you talking in both cases of cocktails?”  
“Who knows.”  
“In case you don’t do it, I think, sand isn’t the best place for a quiet time together.”  
“Depends on the size of the towel.”  
“And who’s around, watching you.”  
“Can be a piece of the excitement.”  
“Like becoming a member of the upper 10.000.”  
“Nothing else to do in a plane.”  
“My flights are usually not longer than two hours. By the time I’ve stopped worrying if the take off was alright, we’re going down already.”  
“Is the detective afraid of flying?” Now it was Sara who was amused. As a scientist, it was absolutely clear to her why a plane was flying and that it was the safest way of traveling in the world.   
“I don’t have wings, means I’m suppose to stay on the ground.”  
“Do you go swimming?”  
“I do. I can swim without any help, in every direction. I try this with flying, I’ll fly in one direction, straight and fast.”  
“You’re really scared.”   
“I’m suspicious.”  
“Afraid.”  
“Considered.”  
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody what a pantywaist you are.” Sara laughed. The smug detective was a pantywaist when it came to flying. That was something she could enjoy.   
“Bite me.”  
“I prefer my bagel, thanks.”  
“The next time I’ll let you wait for Mister Boombastic.”  
“Next time, I’ll wait in his bedroom for him. And he’ll be very close around and then spend the rest of the day or night or both with me. There won’t be another date in a dinner. It’s too public anyway.” Yes, the next time she’d let Steve bring her the coffee to bed, after they had make long and very satisfying love. No more waste of time in dinners. 

Vegas was a 24/7 city, it didn’t matter when you finished working, there was always a party to celebrate. One of these parties was on tonight, a party of the police department. Gil and Nick had offered to work the shift so that the rest of the team could enjoy the party. Ordinary Sara was the one who was always working but when she found out that Steve would be at this party, she didn’t offer Nick to work.   
Dressing up in a skirt and a nice blouse she was sitting next to Cath and Warrick, watching the people.   
“Did you see the Sheriff? He was almost in the…he was very agreeable with the major.” Warrick smiled.   
“No kidding? I could barely see him.” Cath said. “Thought, they were one person.”  
“Cath, you heard him saying, it’s all for the department. Sure. He’s fishing for some votes, starting up on the top.”  
“The more butter you use the better your steak will slip in the pan.” Cath smiled.   
“Yeah, he’s very greasy. Little snail. Sara? Are you still with us?”   
“Huh?” Sara’s attention was on the couple that just entered the room. A tall guy with black hair and a black suit. Next to him a tall blonde with a white dress. Steve and Sofia, and she had her arm under his. They looked like a wedding couple.   
A couple. Why was Sara not surprised? Steve was a hot guy, Sofia turned the heads of guys, and probably it was only natural that they’ve found each other. Just look at them, they could be from a magazine, couple of the year. Mr. And Mrs. Sexy.  
“They look great together.” Warrick followed Sara’s eyes.  
“I didn’t know they are together.” Sara could hear the disappointment in Cath’s voice.   
“They didn’t say so. I’m only saying, they look good together.” And they moved like they knew each other very well. Stopped every now and then, talked to some people, laughing, Sofia threw her hair back, Steve’s hand softly on her shoulder. And yes, it seemed like they knew each other very well. Much better than ordinary colleagues.  
“It’s always the blonde one that gets the guy.” Sara sighed.  
“The young blonde one.” Cath grumbled. “I wanted to make him mine tonight.”  
“Welcome to the club.”  
“Looks like both of you have to have another look around.” Warrick grinned. “Your Mister Boombastic found somebody else. His own Misses Boombastic. Pretty hot couple.”  
“Shut up.” Cath grinned. Secretly she had to admit that Warrick was right. Sofia and Steve looked pretty hot together and they acted like that.   
“Hey guys.” Steve sent a smile to Sara and Cath.   
“Nice outfit.”   
“Thanks.” Sofia smiled. “Steve picked it. I think it’s too much…”  
He picked her outfit? He was there when she was dressing up? Yes, they had to be a couple. For longer than tonight, Cath thought. If she allowed him to make the decision about her outfit. But she had to say, Steve had a very good taste.   
“It’s not. It shows you’re a hot woman, it’s perfect. We’re at a party.”  
“It’s a work party, I feel more like…I don’t know. The Sheriff is there. The mayor.”  
“Who cares? We’re here to have some fun. Hey Sara, would you give me the honor to dance with me?”  
“What? Me?” Sara wasn’t sure if she heard right. He was Sofia’s company.   
“Don’t see anybody else with that name. At least I don’t know anybody else with that name.”  
“But Sofia…”  
“She won’t mind, will you, Sofia?”  
“Go ahead. I’ll get us a drink.” Sofia really didn’t look like she’d mind and Sara was more than happy for this offer.   
“Let’s dance, Sara.” Steve took Sara’s hand and pulled her to the dance floor.   
Wow, she was dancing with Steve and she could feel goose bumps all over her body when he laid his eyes on her. This guy knew exactly how sexy he was and how women reacted to him and he enjoyed it.   
“I know we’re not here to talk about work, but I’ve to say I’m really impressed by the way you’re working. You’re dedicated to your work, it’s an honor to watch you on scene. Smart, very clever, sharp eyes and elegant like a cat.”  
“Uhm…thanks.” Uhm thanks? What kind of answer was that? Sara wanted to kick her own ass. Steve made her the biggest compliment she ever got and all she could do was stutter these two words? If she wouldn’t improve herself this evening would never end like she wanted it to end. He’d turn away and laugh at her.   
“Sorry again for not showing up last week for breakfast.”  
“You said it was unlikely you could make it.”  
“If Brass hadn’t called I’d have been there. So I had to send a replacement. I know, not the best compare to me.” He grinned and blinked at her. “But I hope you enjoyed our second breakfast.” They had met two later for a breakfast. Not in his flat, as Sara had dreamed about, but in a diner. Better than nothing.  
“I did.”  
“I think we should have more often breakfast together. It is a nice way to end the shift.”  
“Yes, we should.” And by we she meant him and her not the rest of the team. Something told her, he wasn’t thinking the same. Maybe he’d prefer to have a private dinner on an evening off. She did.  
Two songs she was in his arms then they walked back to the others. Cath’s eyes were jealous when Sara came back with Steve on her side. The second time today the older blonde didn’t get what she wanted.   
“I can see Ecklie coming in our directions.” Greg rolled his eyes. The face of their boss wasn’t happy, he must have found something to complain about. That was nothing unusual.   
“Team.”  
“Ecklie, isn’t it a lovely party?” Cath asked.   
“Wonderful. The Sheriff wants to talk to you guys later.”  
“He can do that.” After all, it was an official party, they knew, the Sheriff might come along for a chat.   
“Try not to make any trouble for the lab, would you?” His eyes stayed on Sara.   
“I’ll behave myself.” What could she possible do? Okay, she could say all the things she had in mind, things the Sheriff doesn’t want to hear and Ecklie doesn’t want to say her.   
“Hopefully.”  
He turned and walked away.   
“So you’re the bad girl, Sara?” Steve grinned amused.  
“Apparently.”  
“You got a personal warning, you must be bad.”  
“I feel ashamed later.”  
“What did you say to Ecklie the last time you talked to him in private?” Greg asked.   
“If I’d tell you, Greggo, it wouldn’t be private anymore.” Sara laughed and bopped her friend. “But it was something like he could stick his politics there where the sun’s not shinning.” She whispered loud enough that everybody else could hear it.   
“You didn’t.” Greg’s eyes became huge.  
“Not with these words but it was this message.”  
“No wonder he’s always picking on you. One day he’ll kick you out.”  
“I won’t give him a reason to do so.”  
“Good. I don’t want to lose you. My csi teacher.”  
“According to you, you’re a master already, no need for a teacher anymore.”  
“I’m sure there’re some things you can still teach me.”  
“Yeah, like how to empty a trunk without having a shower with the mud in it.”  
“Don’t mention that.” Greg felt sick by only thinking of this event. That was so gross, so disgusting. At this moment he had wished, he’d never left the lab to become a csi.   
“Poor Greggo.”  
“Who feels like a dance?” Steve asked. Before Sara or Cath could react, Sofia took Steve’s arm and pulled him towards the dance floor. Sara could swear his eyes were on her. Was he flirting with Sara while Sofia was his date? Would she risk trouble at work to get this guy? The relationship with Sofia had never been very good, so she wasn’t in danger to lose a friend. But trying to steal a guy from a colleague was cheap. And breaking up a relationship wasn’t her style either.   
She had no idea if her attitude had changed or if Sofia had told her company off, but he didn’t ask Sara again for a dance. The blonde must have been very jealous if he backed up this much.   
It was after midnight when Sara came back from the bathroom and found only Sofia on their table. Greg had excused himself an hour ago, he wanted to meet some friends after he had the evening more or less off. Cath and Steve weren’t there either. They had been dancing when Sara went away. Now she couldn’t see them.  
“Hey, where’re the others?”  
“They left.”  
“Steve and Cath left?” There must have been a misunderstanding in their communication. Sofia and Steve were here as a couple, how could he leave with Cath? And why Cath? Why not Sara? What did she do wrong? He had asked her for the first dance, he was so charming and now…she couldn’t believe it.   
“Yes.”  
“And that’s alright with you?”  
“Can’t stop him, can I?”   
“You could try.”  
“It’s not worth it.”   
Sara knew Sofia was not innocent when it came to guys, she had never seen the blonde in company with the same guy twice but she and Steve had seemed to be very close, it never crossed Sara’s mind he was only another affair to Sofia.   
“I’d kill him if he leaves with another woman if I was in your shoes.”  
“No reason to do so. There’re more important things.”  
“Like?”  
“Like not having problems in your job because of the private life.”  
“He gave you’re his keys.”  
“He drove here, I’ll take his car home.” So they were close enough to share a car, he left the keys for her so that she could drive home, but she didn’t mind him leaving with Cath. That seemed to be a very open relationship.   
“Now what?” Sara asked.  
“Well, if you want I can drive you home or we can stay a little bit longer.”  
“It would be nice to sleep at night, can’t remember the last time I did that.” Waking up by the sunrise instead of going to bed with it.   
“You lose your rhythm by doing that too often. I stay awake the whole night when I’m off. Thanks to Vegas it doesn’t matter what time of the day you’re awake, everything open 24/7.”  
“Yeah, kind of disturbing sometimes. Like when you catch a case in a casino, you leave, it’s like eight in the morning and you see people drinking already.”  
“Or still.”  
“Both not very nice.” Sara found it a kind of disturbing that there weren’t any clocks and windows in casinos, you could never see what time it was, if it was day or night. Maybe that was why she avoided casinos usually.   
“What would you like to do?”  
“I can call a cab home.”  
“Why? I’ve got a car, I didn’t drink, and your place is on the way. It makes no sense to call a cab. Unless you’re scared of being alone with me in a car.”  
“I think, I was with you alone in a car before. A few times. We’re working together. Sometimes.”  
“And sometimes against each other.” Sofia sighed quietly.   
“I beg your pardon?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Why do we work against each other? We’re on the same side.” Sara had heard what the blonde had said. She wanted an explanation.   
“Yeah, we do.”  
“But.”  
“I don’t want to fight.”  
“Good, than tell me what you meant.”  
“That’s why I don’t want to tell you. It will probably upset you.”  
“Try me.”  
Sofia sighed again. It didn’t matter if she told Sara what she meant, the brunette was already annoyed. They had managed to be together for five minutes without fighting, a new record. That was over now.   
“I’ve sometimes the feeling you don’t work with me, you work against me because you don’t like me. No matter what I do, you’ll find something to complain, I can never make it good enough for you. No matter how good my intention is, you’ll find some bad thoughts behind it. That makes it very difficult, Sara. Working with somebody who hates you.”  
“I don’t hate you.” She really didn’t. She didn’t really care for Sofia, didn’t care what the blonde did and yes, she was annoyed a lot with her, but Sofia was annoying. Annoying smug. Annoying in her way.   
“Would be nice to feel that every now and then.”  
“I won’t hug you when I arrive at a scene and you’re already there to make you feel loved.”  
Sofia had to laugh. She never expected that. “Try a smile for the beginning. When you can manage that together with a friendly word, we’ll a huge step closer to being friendly.”  
“Stop being smug all the time.”  
“I’m not.”  
“Oh yes, you are. If I had to make a movie, you’d be the smug, arrogant rich woman in it.”  
“I take it as a compliment that you think of me as a movie star.” Sofia smiled lightly.   
“Kind of Meryl Streep in ‘The devil wears Prada’ maybe.”  
“She’s a great actress.”  
“She is, yes.”  
“I concentrate on that and not on her character in the movie.”  
Sara chuckled. “That’s it.”  
“I love it when she says that. So…”  
“Arrogant? Smug?” Sara offered and chuckled more.   
“Snotty.”  
“What a nice word to explain…her.”  
“Bite me, Sidle.”  
“Thanks for the offer – again. Again I won’t take it.” Sara leaned back and smiled.   
“That was almost friendly, Sara, you’re getting better.”  
“I think it was a very nice answer for that insult you gave me.”  
“I’m not insulting you, Sara.”  
“Not right now. Right now you’re teasing me.”  
“I’m happy you got that.”  
“Well, you’re blond.”  
“Bitch.”  
“Who’s insulting whom now?” Sara laughed.  
“The truth is not an insult.”  
“I’m feeling unloved now.”  
“Shall I bring you home? You can suffer in peace there.”  
“Sounds good. My teddy bear will be there for me.”  
“That’s cute.” Sofia smiled. “The mean investigator shares her bed with a teddy bear.”  
“Shut up.”  
“I didn’t say anything.” She grinned. Sara Sidle had a teddy bear? Maybe she wasn’t scientist through and through. 

„Hey Cath.“ Sara looked up when Cath came into the room.   
“How are you, Sara?”  
“Me? Fine. Why?” Why was Catherine concerned about Sara’s well being? Did she miss something?  
“Are you mad at me?”  
“Mad at you? No. Why should I?” They didn’t have a fight since that one time Sara got suspended and that was years ago.   
“Steve.”  
“Oh.” Because of Steve. That would be a good reason.  
“I never thought it would end like this. First he arrived with Sofia, then he danced with you but in the end…”  
“You took him home.”  
“Yes.”  
“Well, he made his decision. Congratulation.” Somehow it wasn’t that important anymore. She had lost Steve to Cath, he kind of stayed in the family. She lost some of her interest when it became clear, Steve wasn’t interested in something serious. She didn’t expect him to swear eternal love but arriving on a party with one woman and leaving with another, that was cheap. That was something she didn’t need.   
“I don’t think it’s more than this one night. I mean, he doesn’t have to call, I’ll see him around but…it kind of feels like when we wouldn’t work together, we wouldn’t see each other again.”  
“I’m sorry.” So it was good that Sara didn’t go with him. Fun for a night was more Cath’s business.   
“Believe me, there’s nothing to feel sorry for. I can tell you, even if I get some trouble with Sofia now, it was worth it.” Cath smirked. Her ringing cell phone stopped her from more details. She waved at Sara and left the room.   
So Cath had an exciting night with Steve. At least one of them got what she wanted. Sara had to find out what she wanted new. A part of her still was interested in Steve, the other thought, it was better to keep him as a friend and look for somebody who was interested in a real relationship.   
But why did he turn his back on Sara? She never got any explanation for that and damn it, she wanted to know why. She could live with it, but she wanted to know why.   
Throwing her file away she got up. She would go and ask him. He owned her an answer. And why the hell did she care so much? Why couldn’t she let go?   
Steve was in his office, on the phone. When he saw Sara, he waved her in and smiled. It took him another minute or two to end the call.   
“Sorry for that.”  
“That’s alright.”  
“How are you, Sara?”  
“I’m alright.” She tried to find something different on him. Nothing. He seemed to be the same like always. Handsome, in control, relaxed, sexy. Why was he that damn sexy?  
“What can I do for you?”  
“You could answer a question for me.”  
“I doubt that there’s anything I know that you don’t know but thanks to make me feel smart.” There was it. Again. He made compliments, he was nice, flirty. Why did he turn her away? Why did she still bother?  
“It’s about yesterday evening.”  
“I promise I didn’t try to look into your shirt while we were dancing…no, forget that, that would be a lie. I might have risked an eye. Sorry.” He laughed.   
She ignored that comment. “Why did you turn your back on me after the dance?”  
“I didn’t turn my back on you, Sara.”  
“You never danced with me again after this one dance. Was I so awful?”  
“Awful? You were wonderful. It wasn’t about you.”  
“But?” What or who made him change his mind?   
“Sofia.”  
“Come on, you left with Cath. I mean, it was first kind of strange to see you and Sofia arriving together, nobody knew there was something between the two of you, but when she told me you left with Cath, I couldn’t understand the world. Why did you leave with her? Why not with me? What did I do wrong?” And why the hell must she sound so desperate? Where was her self-respect? Self-esteem? She was whining like a little girl that wanted some candy.   
“Sofia asked me to leave you alone.”   
“What? How dares she?” Without waiting for another explanation Sara jumped up and left the office, ignoring Steve’s calling for her.   
She was mad. She was really mad. She would tell Sofia the right things. How could she dare to act like that? How dared she to tell Steve to stay away from Sara when she let him go away with Cath?   
Without knocking she entered the office of the detective. Sofia was on her desk, writing some reports.   
Before the blonde could say anything, Sara cut her off.  
“How dare you to tell Steve to stay away from me?”  
“Good evening to you too, Sara.”  
“Shut up. Tell me, what reason do you have to tell him to stay away from me? I mean, why is it okay that Cath fucked him? What’s the difference? When you’re jealous at me, why not at Cath? What the hell are you playing?”   
“I’m not playing anything.”  
“Screw that. You’re jealous because Steve and me danced? If you can’t take that why did you let him go with Cath?”  
“Sara, it’s not…”  
“Don’t tell me what it’s not is, tell me what it is. What is it? Why did you tell him to back off? Why Sofia?”   
“I can’t give you a reason you want to hear.” The blonde sighed and her eyes became sad. It was obvious there was something more, a longer story but Sara wasn’t interested in that.   
“Fine.” Sara got up, left the room without any further words or without even looking at Sofia.   
The blonde fell on her chair together. She had known it would come like this. It was clear, Sara wouldn’t be happy about Steve and Cath. Why did he tell her that she asked him to back off? The not very good relationship she had with Sara was completely broken now. That little bit they’d made yesterday before she drove Sara home was gone.   
Sara walked straight back to Steve. If Sofia didn’t give her the answers she wanted, he had to. She would get a clear statement from one of them. It was obvious both knew something that Sara didn’t know and this thing would explain everything to her. She was sick of being in the dark; she wanted to know what was going on.  
“Tell me why the hell she’s jealous at me and not at Cath. What is it?” Sara demanded.  
Steve looked blank at her. “I beg your pardon?”  
“Why is Sofia jealous at me when I dance with you but Cath can take you home. What is the difference?”  
“Did she tell you she was jealous at you?”  
“She didn’t really say anything. Too cowardly. So tell me, why is she jealous when we dance? Why is dancing worse than going home with Cath? Am I that bad? Too bad for you?”  
“Sara.” Steve got up, walked around the desk, closed the door, went to Sara and put a hand on her shoulder. Sara’s first intention was to pull his hand away but she couldn’t move.   
“She wasn’t jealous at you.”  
“Oh please, that’s bullshit. When you asked who wanted to dance after we danced she was very fast to make sure, you can’t dance again with me. Later she had no problems to let you dance with Cath…and all the other things you made with her when you took her home.”  
“That’s right.”  
“So what did I do wrong? Am I not good enough for you? She doesn’t wanna share you with me? Did she plan something for the three of you?”  
Steve looked at her in disbelieve and started laughing.   
Sara narrowed her eyes. Great. Now he was laughing about her. She pulled away his hand and got up. There was a line and this line was crossed. She wouldn’t stay here anymore, she wouldn’t listen to any other lies, wouldn’t make any longer a fool out of herself. A fool. At least that’s how Steve and Sofia treated her.   
“Sara, wait.” Steve was by her side, stopped her from leaving the office by closing the door again.  
“Let me go. I had enough.”  
“You still don’t have your answers, do you?”  
“Well, I gave you and Sofia enough to laugh at, I think.”  
“Nobody is laughing at you.”  
“You just did.”  
“You got me wrong.” His face got serious. “Please, let me explain.” He guided her back to the chair in front of his desk and sat next to Sara, on the edge of the table.  
“Nobody is laughing at you. I laughed because of this idea. A threesome. Sara, I think it’s time to give you a little information that obviously is missing in your storyline. Maybe it will help you to understand. Yes, I arrived with Sofia at the party, yes I do stay at Sofia’s place. Yes she was jealous. No, she wasn’t planning a threesome. No, nothing was your fault. The reason why Sofia and I are close is not because we’re lovers or having an affair or whatever, the reason is family. I’m her brother.”  
“What?” Sara looked in disbelieve. Was Steve making a joke? He and Sofia were siblings? That must be a lie. They didn’t look alike. They didn’t have the same surname.   
“She’s my sister, older sister, but don’t tell her I told you, she’s older.”  
“You don’t have the same family name.”  
“That’s because I was married a few years ago and took the name of my wife.”  
“You’re married?” First he was Sofia’s brother, now he was married. Could it get worse?   
“I was. We divorced a few years ago. A teenage romance, a mistake. I kept her name to remind me of the consequence of making important decisions without thinking. To be honest, Sara, the marriage didn’t work out because of me. I’m not a man for one woman, I like the variety. I’m not made for relationships. I prefer to enjoy women than enjoying a woman.”  
“Now I believe your Sofia’s brother.”  
“Is that so? Why?” He cocked his head interested.   
“She’s the same. Only she enjoys men.”  
Again Steve started to laugh.   
“What?”  
“I still think you’re smart, but it seems like you’ve got a blind spot on your pretty eyes when it comes to my family. My sister is everything, she’s gorgeous, she’s smart, she’s adorable, she’s the best catch a guy can make but she isn’t like me.”  
“I think you’re gorgeous, smart and adorable. But the best catch a woman can make…or probably also a man.”  
“Oh well, thanks Sara.” He smiled, took her hand. “Likewise. There’s no need for you to think you’re not good enough for anybody, the question is the other way around: is the other person good enough for for? I am not worth being with you, you’re too special, Sara. Take it and trust me on that. To get you a little inside knowledge of my family: the difference between my sister and me is, I enjoy women in every way, she enjoys…well…she enjoys the company but she’s not sleeping around to say it straight. I’m the male whore, she’s prude.”  
“Prude?” Sara laughed. Maybe Steve hadn’t seen Sofia on her free evenings. Every time Sara saw the blonde somewhere, she was with another man. Sara had never seen the same guy twice with Sofia. In her world, that was sleeping around.   
“Yes.”  
“I’ve never seen her with the same guy twice.”  
“That’s because in Vegas men don’t stay interested if they don’t get what they want after the second or third date. They want her in their beds, can’t blame them, I’m the same when I see a great woman. She doesn’t want affairs, she doesn’t want to go to bed with somebody after two or three dates. She wants a relationship. She wants somebody smart, somebody who can stimulate her brain, somebody who takes the cop and the woman. She wants somebody to hold her, somebody she can hold, somebody who’s trustful, who trust her. She’s an old – fashioned woman. My big sister, she’ll kill me for what I’ll say now, but I think you should know the truth. The woman you saw every time with another man had only four men in her life. I think she’s far away from being a whore and sleeping around. And I’m as good as dead for telling you this.”  
“Are you serious?”  
“I’d never joke when it comes to Sofia. She might be the older one, but I’m the man. Being a macho I protect my sister. I told you this because I think, you have the wrong impression of her, and many people have. I hope you’ll handle this information I gave to you with discretion. They are nobody else’s business.”  
“Why did you tell me?” What made Sara special to know the truth? To know these very personal things about Sofia.   
“You asked for some answers, Sara. Beside that, I think I can trust you with this information. I know Sofia trusts you and she thinks highly of you.”  
Sara thought about all the things Steve had told her. They explained a lot. Almost everything. Almost.   
“That still doesn’t answer my actual question. Why was she jealous at me when I danced with you and alright with Cath having you taking home?”  
Steve closed his eyes and shook his head. Sara didn’t get it. He had to be straight forward.  
“Okay, I thought I got that clear to you. Sofia is and was never jealous at you. She’s my sister, it’s alright for her when I sleep around as long as I don’t promise any woman anything else than a night of fun and don’t bring them home.”  
“Didn’t seem like she was alright with you and me.”  
“It’s not because of she’s jealous of you. She was jealous at me.”  
“What?” Sara’s ear must have played her a bad joke.   
“Sara, as I said, she’s fine with me sleeping around, she isn’t fine with you sleeping around. She saw us, she knew what I had in mind and she asked me not to do it. She asked me to back off not because she was jealous of you, she asked because she said, she doesn’t think you’re the type of woman who enjoys a one-night-stand. And as far as I know you, I’m with her. I’m happy she stopped me.”  
“What if, if I am that kind of woman?” Sara asked slightly mad. Only slightly. She knew Sofia was right but she didn’t want to admit that. These woman had dared to influence Sara’s private life, had acted like a mother who wanted to protect the baby. Sara wasn’t a stupid baby, she was an adult.   
“Then I’d be surprised that we were wrong but it wouldn’t change anything.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because Sofia asked me not to sleep with you.”  
“If I’m the type of woman for one-night-stands, why should she care?”  
“Sara, be a smart woman. Stop thinking like a scientist, think like a woman. Why could she be unhappy if you’re sleeping around?”  
“I have no idea. It’s my life, my decision, it doesn’t affect her, it…”  
“Sara?” Steve stopped her. How clear did he has to be?   
“Yes?”  
“Sofia doesn’t want me to be with you, to sleep with you for fun because she cares for you. She didn’t tell me this but I know it. I can see it in her eyes, I can feel it the way she acts around you. And when she asked me to back off I knew why and I knew I was right. My sister cares for you a lot. Having her brother messing around with you would break her heart, I’d never do anything to break her heart. You are important for her, more than you imagine and more than it’s good for her. I know how complicated the relationship between you and Sofia is, I don’t know why, she couldn’t answer me this question, but she suffers and she would like to change that if there’s a chance to do so. And I have to say, as much as I like you, and I really do, Sara, if you hurt my sister, I’ll hurt you.” His voice and his face became very serious. “I told you a lot of things about her, a lot of private things, if I find out you used some of these things against her, to hurt her, I’ll come after you and make you pay. I don’t care if I’m a cop or not. Nobody hurts my sister, am I clear?”   
He could be very charming but Sara saw now, he could be very dangerous too. If she ever wondered how all the criminal could take him serious, she knew it now.   
“I have no intention to hurt her and I won’t tell anybody what you told me.”  
“Good.” Steve’s face relaxed and he smiled. “I knew we could find a base. Is there anything else I can help you with? A lovely invitation to breakfast maybe?”  
“Won’t you get in trouble for that?”  
“For having breakfast with you? Well, yeah, maybe. I’ll risk it.”  
Sara laughed. “I call you after shift.”  
“That, Miss Sidle, sounds like a lovely, innocent date. I’m looking forward to see you at the diner or – if our bosses want so – on a case later.”  
“Likewise.”

Sara didn’t catch another case that night. She could finish all her reports and met Steve at the dinner after work. They had some coffee, some bagels and separated after an hour, both to their own homes. Or Steve to Sofia’s home. He had told Sara, he was looking for an own place but also enjoyed staying with his sister. They hadn’t seen much of each other in years so they enjoyed the company of each other.   
The next couple of nights Sara worked together with Gil and Brass on a double murder. A case that gave them quite a lot of overtime and some meetings with the Sheriff. Being a good girl Sara behaved herself, doing the politics. Or Gil did the politics, she simply shut up as soon as the Sheriff or Ecklie were around.  
A week later she and Sofia had a case together. A burglary. It was the first time they had met after Sara’s not so nice words in Sofia’s office.   
When Sara arrived at the scene, Sofia was already taking statements, not looking at the investigator. Instead of her an officer filled Sara in. She couldn’t really be mad at Sofia for that, she deserved nothing else.   
Sara had worked the outside first, it looked like rain so she wanted to be done before the rain would destroy the evidence. The house could wait until then. A shoeprint and a cigarette butt were next to the window that was broken. To get the results as fast as possible she sent an officer with the evidence to the lab and went on working in the inside.   
She had barely started when Sofia came inside. Obviously not that happy to be here.  
“None of the neighbor have some information’s for us. I talked to everybody who’s living around the house. The wife, Mrs. Masterson, is in hospital, she’s suffering of a shock, her husband is with her. I’ll go down and talk to them.”  
“Is any of them a smoker?”  
“I don’t know. Why?”  
“I found a cigarette butt next the broken window.”  
“Gonna check that with them. Anything else?”  
“A shoeprint, size twelve.”  
“They stroke me both a small people, I doubted that belongs to them, but I’ll asked too.”  
“Nothing else so far, I’ll start the inside now.”  
“Alright.”  
“Sofia?” Sara got the blonde just before she left the house.   
“Yeah?”  
That was now difficult, a thing Sara usually never did, would never say. “I’m sorry.”  
“What for? You can’t work faster, you’re alone.” Sofia’s voice was cold. All business.   
“Not for this case, I mean…for the scene in your office. I didn’t know…”  
“Sara, you can think of me whatever you want, but I’d never do anything that hurts you. If I knew my brother could make you happy, I’d have no problems to see the two of you together. But he isn’t what you saw in him. He’s a wonderful man, but not…not perfect.” Sofia managed a little smile and left the house, leaving Sara with her unfinished apology.   
“I didn’t deserve more.” Sara got her attention back to the house. Maybe it was better this way. She had thought about that Steve had told her for a while and two nights ago she woke up and finally really understood what Steve had told her. It wasn’t that Sofia cared about Sara because she doesn’t want her to get hurt by Steve. It was a part of the truth but not the entire truth. She cares a lot for you, that’s what Steve said. Being a man, it should have been obvious for her what he was really saying. She had to talk to Sofia, Steve’s words were stuck in her head and she couldn’t get them out, couldn’t stop thinking of them.   
And she had to concentrade on other things. Like right now. It was time to find more evidence she had to get her mind back to work. That’s why she hated private relationships with colleagues, they could mess you up badly and make you don a bad job. 

Getting closer

It came out that Mr. And Mrs. Masterson were both non-smoker and the DNA on the cigarette lead them to a guy who had a long sheet for robbery and burglary. He also wore shoes in size twelve and had the same kind of sport shoe the print was from. The case was closed before lunch and left Sara with a satisfied smile. Twelve hours and another guy was back in prison, they did a good job.   
“Sara, another burglary or a 419?” Gil came to her.   
“I can choose?”  
“Yes.”  
“Tell me more about the cases”  
“The cases or the detective?” Cath came to them and smiled. She knew what she’d prefer.   
“Both.”  
“Burglary in the west, little house, money’s gone, jewelry. Detective on scene is Steve. 419 in Henderson, an old man, shot in his house – apparently. Detective on scene is Sofia. Take your pick.”  
“I guess I know what she’ll pick…or whom.”  
“Do you?” Sara smiled amused at Cath. “I take the 419.”  
“What?” Cath looked at her in disbelieve.  
“Wrong answer, Cath?”  
“I’m surprised.”  
“Enjoy the burglary, or shall I say, the detective?”  
“Believe me, I will.” That was Cath’s chance to have a continuance of the night with Steve.   
“Maybe I should take this case…” Gil started.  
“Don’t you dare!” Cath ribbed off the sheet out of his hands. “You can go with Sara.”  
“Oh well, it’s my pleasure to work with you, Sara.” He smiled.  
“Likewise.” She grabbed her kit and followed Gil.   
Having him as a primary it was his job to talk to Sofia while Sara started to secure the evidence outside. There were some traces in the garden, she started to work her away from the window, that was probably the entry and/or exit of the killer.   
When she was lucky, this trace would lead her directly to the killer, his car or anything that could tell her, who or where the killer was. A blood trace to the neighbor house would be too easy but she wouldn’t mind if there was a stupid or sloppy person on the run, she could catch fast.   
“Stop taking off alone all the time.”  
Sara almost dropped her flashlight.   
“Damn Sofia, you scared the shit out of me.”  
“Then don’t leave the scene alone.”  
“I’m following the evidence, as long as there’s evidence around, it’s the scene.”  
“You know what I mean.”  
“Send an officer if it makes you feel better.”  
“Don’t want me around?”  
“Do you want to be around me?” Sara shot back. She didn’t mean to be rude but all these thoughts in her head started to mess up her life. She needed to sort that out, the fast the better. She wasn’t a good investigator anymore when she behaved like that.   
Sofia looked at her. This csi was so annoying. Why was Sara such a pain in the butt? Why couldn’t she cooperate with the police like all the other csi did?  
“If you’re mad because you’re again on my scene and not Steve’s it’s not my fault. I’m sorry that my appearance destroyed your night – again.” Sofia said angry.  
Sara got up, walked over to the detective, almost standing in her private space.   
“First of all you didn’t destroy my night. Second, I’m not mad and third I picked the case. Gil offered me the other case, the case with Steve, I picked this one. So stop bitching around I’m here because I wanted to be here.”  
“How comes?”  
“Believe it or not I like working with you. You’re smart, you’re good, you know the police and the csi work. I appreciate your opinion on evidence, I like to hear what you think did happen.”  
“That’s new to me.”  
“Surprise.” Sara shook her head. Maybe she could finish her apology now before they started to insult each other again. “Don’t fight. I’m sorry for all the things I said in your office, I’m sorry for behaving the way I did.”  
“It’s alright.”  
“It isn’t.” Sara grabbed Sofia’s arm and stopped her from walking away. “You were right.”  
“With what?”  
God, she couldn’t say with stopping Steve sleeping with me. “Everything.”  
“Everything?”  
“Yes. I’ll try to trust you more, I promise. There’s no reason not to trust you.” Sara let go of Sofia’s arm, hoping the blonde wouldn’t run away immediately.   
“No, there isn’t. I’m glad you realized that.” The detective turned around. “I’ll send an officer over.”  
“Can’t you stay?”  
“Me?” Sofia was surprised. Did Sara really ask for her? Did Sara really want her to stay?   
“Yes.”  
“Why?”   
Why? Good question, Sara had no idea why she asked that. It popped out of her mouth before she could think about it. And there was a feeling deep inside her that there was a reason why it popped out.   
“These stuff is a kind if tricky, I’d like some help.”  
“Okay.” Sofia came to Sara. “What exactly?”  
“See this?” Sara bent down to a little mark. “It looks like oil. How long do you think it’s here?”  
“You took an example?”  
“Yes.”  
“Mhm.” Sofia put on some gloves and touched the oil. “It’s still liquid, not too long. I’d say here was a car in the last couple of hours, not more than three or four. Looking at the amount of oil it was here was quite a while. Any other oil spot like this around?”  
“Haven’t seen one yet.”  
“In case there’s none like this you might have found the spot where the killer parked his car. Parked it here, entered the premises via the backyard, got into through the window and killed the man.”  
“I think the same.”   
“I can check if there was a taxi around that time, maybe the driver saw something.”  
“I check the surroundings for evidence. The last time we worked together a cigarette butt broke the case, maybe we’ll be lucky again.”  
“Let’s hope.” Sofia got up.   
“See, we can work together and I think we’re great working together.” Sara smiled.   
“You’re getting smug now? That’s not your style.”  
“I learnt from the best.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah.” Sara smirked and blinked at Sofia.   
“Meryl Streep?”  
“I think, Meryl learnt from you.”  
“Are you starting to suck up?”  
“Not my style.”  
“No, it isn’t.” Sofia turned.  
“Sofia?”  
“Yes?”  
“I mean it, I really do like working with you. It’s not you who makes the problems, it’s me. I’ve no idea why I’m always annoyed when you’re around, but I’ll try to find out and stop it. Soon.”  
“That sounds like a good idea.” Sofia smiled a little bit.   
“Mind a breakfast? Only the two of us?”  
“A breakfast without a fight would be something to celebrate.”  
“We can celebrate it with another breakfast. We’re working together, there’re plenty of opportunities to have breakfast together.”  
“True. Try to stay safe for the two minutes without an officer.”  
“Will do.”  
“I’ll trust you on that.” Sofia smiled and left. 

„Come in.” Sara opened her front door and let Sofia in.   
The detective wasn’t sure what she was doing here. Something was going on. She and Sara had worked the whole night together on this case, Sara had asked her a few times for her opinion, they had put in some overtime and out of the blue Sara had offered to have breakfast together at her place. Sofia was not only surprised, she was also sure the investigator had something on her mind and that made Sofia really nervous. What was going on in Sara’s mind?   
“The holy place of Sara Sidle.” Sofia tried to joke. Maybe that would relax her.   
When Sara didn’t answer Sofia turned around in the hallway. Sara was standing behind her, close behind her, if not to say, in Sofia’s private space.   
Without any word Sara grabbed Sofia’s collar, pulled her to her and kissed her softly.   
Sofia lost her mind. Sara was kissing her. Sara. What…  
Sara pushed Sofia in front of a wall, still kissing her, now more demanding.   
“You know, there’re a few things I want to know about you.” Sara said when she pulled only an inch away from Sofia’s lips to speak. Her voice sounded different than usually. Somehow husky, not like the usual annoyed Sara.   
“What?” It was more a gasp then a question. Sofia’s head was turning, her blood was running through her veins, it felt like somebody had put her into a roller coaster. She felt dizzy like after too much alcohol.   
“For example, how do you react when I kiss you here?” Sara’s lips moved down Sofia’s throat and kissed the sensitive skin. Gently she bit her way down to the shoulders and back, to the other side.   
“Your pulse is getting faster, I can feel your blood running, Sofia. Your breath is faster too, it’s louder. I guess I’ve got my answer to my first question.”  
Sofia wondered how Sara could stay this cool while she was melting and – as the investigator had pointed out – losing herself.   
“So, let’s go to my next question. What happens, if I let my hand run through your body?” Sara’s right hand wandered up and down Sofia’s body, stopping for a second on her nipples to tease them, almost touching her between her legs, under the blouse, over the back of the blonde. Meanwhile Sara’s lips never left Sofia’s throat.   
Sofia thought she if would lose herself right now. What was Sara doing to her? Had she any idea what she did to Sofia? And why did she do that? Okay, Sara had made it clear the last days she didn’t hate Sofia, like the blonde had always thought, but this? What was wrong with Sara? There was a difference between having a few breakfasts together and being pushed to a wall and feeling the brunette’s lips and hands all over her body. Not that Sofia minded, it was only so unexpected.   
“I’d say, the same things like before, only stronger. Interesting.” Sara was amused about how the other woman reacted to her touches and kisses. Right now, before she had even really started, she had the full control over the detective.   
“One last question, Sofia.” Damn, it sounded even extreme sexy when Sara said her name. It never sounded better, more promising. Whatever the promise was.   
“Where should I touch you now? Can you show me where you want my hands? Can you lead them?” Sara placed her left hand under Sofia’s hands.   
Sofia swallowed, took Sara’s hand and moved it straight to her right nipple. Sara smiled and rubbed the hard flesh between her index finger and her thumb. Sofia moaned. Somehow Sara had managed while she was doing all this to open Sofia’s blouse, to open her bra.   
“Open your belt, Sofia.” That was no question, that was an order. Trying to concentrate to get her hands to her belt, Sofia needed three times to open her belt, opened her pants and found Sara’s right hand under her left hand.   
“Guide this hand too.”  
Slowly Sofia took Sara’s hand and guided it down between her legs. Heat and wetness were waiting for Sara’s fingers.   
“Show my hand what to do.”  
Sofia started to rub Sara’s hand over her clit and moaned as soon as Sara touched her there.   
“You make the rules about the speed, you make the decision where my hand goes.” And with this Sara’s lips went down to the free nipple, her tongue played with it before she finally started to suck it.   
Sofia moaned loud now. She was absolutely helpless by being in control. Her right hand tried to keep her steady by grabbing Sara’s hair while her left guided Sara’s hand to rub faster and faster. She had now idea how much longer she could do this, she could feel how her blood was cooking, how her breath was fast, loud and unsteady, how her body started to tremble and the world around her disappeared inch by inch.   
“Please.” She pleaded. She was so close, even if anybody would tell her to stop, she wasn’t able to stop now. She had lost the control over herself.   
“Sara, please.” Why did Sara that to her? Why did she let her suffer? Her hand was getting slower, the touch not that hard anymore. Why didn’t she send Sofia over the edge? Why did she torture her?   
“Please. Please. Please.”   
Sara’s index and middle finger slipped in Sofia while her thumb didn’t stop rubbing and got some of the pressure back.   
“Oh god.” Sofia cried out and lost herself. Tears were all over her face, she was trembling, the world was black and she felt like she would lose her concussion every second. Then she came hard.   
Sara stopped, her lips moved back to Sofia’s throat, her hands ran softly through the tights of the detective.   
“Please. Hold me…I…I can’t…I’ll…fall...” Sofia’s voice was more a whine. Her legs felt like jelly, they weren’t able to keep her up.   
Sara smiled, got Sofia upright with her own body before she put her arms around the blonde, lifted her up and carried her to her bed.   
“What are you doing?” Sofia wasn’t sure what was going on, but having Sara carrying her felt wrong.  
“Workout.”   
“What…”  
“Sshhh. Everything is alright.” She put Sofia on the bed, took off the rest of Sofia’s clothes, undressed herself, slipped next to the detective and took her in her arms. Kissing Sofia’s hair, holding her, she could feel how the body of the other woman started to go back to normal. The breath was steady, the pulse wasn’t running anymore and Sofia started to have the control over her body back.   
“What did you do to me?”  
“Well I thought after came here you should have a good time coming here. Did you enjoy coming here?”  
“I’d punch you for being that awful smug and mean but I can’t move.”  
“Really?” Sara’s eyes were full of amuse. Shed had managed to switch roles. Usually it was Sofia who was the smug one, the one in control. Or at least, she appeared like this. Seeing her helpless and out of control was a big satisfaction for Sara.   
“What happened?”  
“Somebody fucked my brain out.”  
“Is that a kind of assaulting an officer?” Sara grinned.   
Sofia managed to move her head to look into the brown eyes of the investigator.   
“Detective.”  
“Oh, I’m sorry. I assaulted a detective. Will you arrest me? Handcuff me? Read me my rights? And charge me with…assault…?”  
“Shut up.”  
“Make me shut up.” Sara dared her.   
Sofia’s eyes went small, she took a deep breath and hoped her body would respond to the order her brain sent it. She rolled over until she was on top of Sara, pressed her mouth on the brunettes ones, demanding access with her tongue.  
Sara shifted her body a little bit and Sofia slipped next to her.  
Complaining with a grumble, the blonde tried to get back where she had been a second before. Sara’s hand simply stopped her.  
“Give yourself some time, tiger. You’re barely able to breath regular, take a break, I’m not going anywhere.” She pulled Sofia in her arms and kissed her softly. “No need to hurry.”  
“I owe you losing your mind.” Sofia grumbled.   
“You’ll still owe me in ten minutes, honey.”  
It sounded so good when Sara called her honey. Even better was the sound of her voice. It was still mocking the blonde but there was more, there was…there were feelings, Sofia could feel that wasn’t only a joke to Sara, not only a one-night stand. Or in their case a one day stand.   
“Okay, then it’s time for me to ask you some questions, Sara. Why did you do that?”  
“Because I could.” Sara smirked.   
“That’s it? That was the only reason?”   
“You’re a smart woman, find the answer. I found my answers before too. Had to work hard for them but I got them.”  
Sofia wanted to slap Sara for mocking her but she didn’t have the power for it.   
“You took me because you couldn’t get my brother.”  
“Did it feel to you like that?” Sara’s voice didn’t change. She didn’t sound hurt, angry or anything like this, she was more amused.   
“No.” No it didn’t feel like that. It felt like Sara knew exactly what she was doing and that she wanted to do these things because it was Sofia. But on the other hand, Sara could play her. She had changed so much and so fast, Sofia didn’t understand why and what was going on in the head of the blonde.   
“So why do you say so stupid things even you don’t believe?”  
“I…I can’t find a reason… I mean…it was obvious you were interested in Steve…now you have got me in your bed…not him…you never said you were interested in me…he’s the one with the magic green eyes…the body like a God…”  
“I can assure you, I prefer ice blue eyes and your body isn’t too bad. You’ve got some really nice DNA, Sofia. Maybe you really lost your brain in my hallway, usually you think much better, and you’re smarter.”  
“I just can’t understand…”  
“You are not the first woman I’ve got sex with, if that helps. The first one in a long time but not the first one at all.”  
“There was never any evidence you wanted me, not even that you like me in any way. I was happy when you didn’t snap at me. Having these breakfasts with you the last few days and no fights while we ate, was like a wonder for me. I never thought it could get any better than that.”  
“I told I’m sorry for behaving like that. About the evidence, maybe you didn’t see it.”  
“You wanted…?” Sofia was speechless. Could she have been so blind?   
“Let me say it this way: We both had some wrong impressions of each other. I thought you’d roll around every weekend with another guy, all the times I saw you out of work, you were with another man. Not that kind of women I think highly of. Your brother told me the truth, I started to see you with different eyes.”  
“What did my baby brother tell you?” Sofia tried to sound angry. Steve was talking about her behind her back. He never mentioned this conversation with Sara to Sofia. She wanted to punch him for that. On the other side, it seems like this conversation had changed Sara’s point of view about Sofia, so she was thankful that her brother had talked to the brunette.   
“Only that you don’t jump into bed with everybody, he mentioned something like four people who ever made it to bed with you, which is, if I think how old you are, really prude. Doesn’t fit the way you give yourself.”  
“It’s nobody’s business with whom, how often and with how many different people I slept. He should shut up. Not everybody is a male whore.”  
“Hey, cut him some credit, he was trying to help you. You wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t told me I’ve got the wrong impression of you.” It was this conversation that made Sara think about the detective, that made she her with different eyes, that made her allowed herself some feelings for Sofia.   
“You could have asked me.”  
“Would you have said the truth? Would I have got an answer at all?” Sara smiled and her smile became a winning smile when Sofia shook her head. Steve had done everything right.   
“You wouldn’t…I wouldn’t…be here if you didn’t know I was with only four people in bed?”  
“It’s not the number four, five or six would be the same. It was the statement, you’re not sleeping around.”  
“Why is that important to you? I mean I haven’t done anything so far. You did everything.”  
“And I really enjoyed that. Having the full control over you, having you done what I want by letting you think you’re in control, playing you, using you, making you plea, making you bet, making you tremble. It’s very satisfying to have this power over somebody.”  
“Are you this cold, Sara Sidle?”   
“Find out, Sofia.”  
Sofia leaned closer to Sara and kissed her. Feeling how Sara’s tongues softly played with hers, feeling the soft lips on hers, feeling Sara’s hand gently touching Sofia’s cheek she found her answer fast and easily.  
“You’re not cold.” Sofia snuggled to Sara, placed her head next to Saras to see into her eyes.   
“No, I’m not. But as you said about that one evening, I’m not made for one-night stands, relationships that go on and off, sharing my partner every now and then. That’s why I don’t want your brother. By taking his sister I’m still in the family.” Sara grinned and kissed Sofia’s nose.   
“Bitch.”  
“Yes.”  
“I should hate you for that.”  
“For sleeping with you, for teasing you or what for?”  
“Teasing me.”  
“Get used to it.”  
“Who said I have to? Maybe this was a one time thing for me.”  
“No, it wasn’t.” Sara chuckled. “You can’t play me, Sofia. You’re totally off guard, I’m not one of your suspects. I know you, by saying ridiculous things like that, you make yourself look cute but not cold.”  
“I hate it when you’re so smug.”  
“Kind of annoying having a smug person around, isn’t it?”   
“Stop teasing me.”  
“Make me stop.”   
“My pleasure.” Sofia rolled on Sara and kissed her passionately. This time she wouldn’t let Sara stop her. This time she would make her pay. 

„Now tell me how I managed to get into your bed.” Sofia’s finger ran softly over Sara’s naked skin while her head rested on the shoulder of the brunette. This seemed to be so perfect, she wasn’t sure if she was dreaming.   
“I carried you.”  
“Yes that’s a thing I can remember. Do you want to destroy your back?”  
“I’m stronger than you think I am.”  
“Looks like. You know what I meant. Why Sara? What made you change your mind? It was Steve you were after.”  
“As I told you before, he changed my mind. What do you think he’ll say if I tell him I got his sister into my bed before the first date.”  
“He’ll tell you that he’ll kill you if you hurt me.”  
“He did that already.”  
“Really?” Why did Steve do that? How could he possible know this would happen?   
“Yes, so he can save his breath. I’m not afraid of him anyway. The point is, I proved him wrong: You do jump into bed with a person you haven’t seen for ages.”  
“We know each other since three years.”  
“You sleep with everybody you know for three years?”  
“No, that’s not the point.”  
“What is the point?”  
A sudden fear appeared deep in Sofia. “Are you trying to tell me that you just slept with me to prove Steve wrong?” Sofia searched for Sara’s eyes. Had she been so wrong? Was the brunette playing her? Was all Sara wanted to prove Steve wrong? Hurt Sofia? Was this a kind of revenge? Payback because Sofia asked her brother to back off?  
There was nothing like fun in Sofia’s eyes, she wasn’t teasing Sara with this question. She was serious and the investigator could see some tears in the blonde’s eyes. A single question and the answer of it could destroy Sofia’s life; at least her emotional life.   
She took Sofia closer to herself, hold her in her arms and kissed her gently on the eyes, tasting the salt of the upcoming tears.   
“No.” She didn’t want to hurt Sofia, didn’t want to make her cry.   
“Right now I’m very vulnerable, Sara, don’t joke with me. Don’t tease me, please. I can’t handle this right now. I slept with you because I trust you, because I didn’t think you’d use me for revenge or simply for some fun. I slept with you because I thought I’d mean something to you.” And if Sara would tell her now she was wrong, she trusted the wrong person, Sofia had no idea what to do.   
“You do.” Sara didn’t stop kissing Sofia’s face. “I’m sorry, I should have realize how serious you are. I’m not playing you, Sofia. I promise.”  
“Good.” Sofia snuggled closer in Sara’s arms. She couldn’t handle anything else. If Sara would have told her it was all just fun for her, Sofia had no idea what she had done.   
“Wouldn’t be smart fooling around the department, would it?”  
“Ask my brother.”  
“He sleeps with women who agree to nothing more than fun for a night. You are not one of these women, neither am I. So I think you can be sure I didn’t play you, I don’t fool around.”  
“So you won’t kick me out of bed?”  
“No, not now. Later. We both have to work tonight.”  
“Later sounds better.” Sofia’s cell phone rang. It was the third time this morning. She had ignored the first two calls; she was too busy making love with Sara.   
Now Sara bent down, out of the bed, got Sofia’s cell out of the pockets of her pants and handed it over to her.  
“Thanks.”  
“He’ll be worried.” Sara knew it was Steve.  
“Probably.” Sofia answered the call. “Hey baby brother.”  
“Where the hell are you?” Oh yes he was worrying about her. She could hear it. Maybe she should have sent him a text. But when? She had no time and before she entered Sara’s flat, she thought it would be nothing more than a coffee and some bagels.   
“In bed.”  
“Don’t lie to me. I’m home, you’re nowhere. I checked the entire apartment a few times. You’re not here, neither is your car or your work stuff. Where are you, Sofia?”  
“You sound like mom. Don’t worry, I’m fine, I am in bed.”  
“Are you in hospital?”  
“No. No white sheets around me. And the last time I checked you do share your room in hospital but you don’t have to share your bed.”  
“I repeat my question again: Where the hell are you?”  
“I’m fine and I’m with Sara.”  
“Sure.”  
Sofia handed her phone to Sara. “Tell him I’m with you, he doesn’t believe me.”  
“She’s saying the truth, Steve, she’s with me.”  
“Sara. Is Sofia…did you…are you…”  
“Yes. Oh, your sister does go to bed with somebody she hasn’t dated for years. In fact, we hadn’t had any time for dating yet.” She smiled and blinked at Sofia when she said the last word. There would be dates, no question. Later.   
“If you hurt her, in any way, even if it’s only a little bit, if you upset her, break her heart, if you do anything that will make her sad, I’ll make you regret that. I meant that Sara. It doesn’t matter how much I like you, which is quite a lot, but I’ll hurt you. I’ll kill you.”  
“Understand.” She gave the phone back to Sofia. “He’s threatening me to kill me.”  
“Isn’t he charming?” Sofia laughed. She loved her brother. “Stop threatening her, she won’t hurt me. She promised.”  
“She better keeps her promise.”  
“You’re the younger one, I should take care of you.”  
“You’re the sensitive one. Are you really alright?”  
“Haven’t felt better.”  
“I do expect you home.”  
“Really, dad? Well, I’ll be home before work. I’ve no idea when Sara kicks me out, but I promise I’ll see you before work.”  
“Good.”  
“See you later, baby brother.”  
“Take care, sis.”  
She switched off the phone.   
“He’s really concerned about you.”  
“Yes. I love him for that.”  
“I hope he’ll stop threatening me one day.”  
“He will. He’s only concerned. He knew you were interested in him, knowing I’m in your bed now, makes him wonder why.”  
“He should know why, he’s your brother. He should know what an awful annoying bitch you can be and I can tell him, the best way to stop you, stop your smug smile and smug behave is kissing your throat, letting you make the decision where my hands should go. You were absolutely helpless.”  
“I know, usually I don’t like being helpless. In that case it was a kind of nice.”  
“Would you enjoy being helpless in my arms for a little sleep? We should catch some sleep before we have to work later.”  
“I can stay?”  
“What kind of lover would I be to kick you out of the bed after we had sex? That would be like an affair. No honey, I want you in my arms or want to be in your arms while we’re sleeping.”  
“Let’s see if we can manage to be in each others arms, to hold each other.”  
“Sounds like a good plan.”

When Sofia woke up the bed was empty. Sara couldn’t be gone long, Sofia could feel the warmth of her body on the sheets next to her. Looking for her clothes Sofia sat up.   
“Sleepy beauty is awake.” Sara came only with a towel around herself in the room. Another towel was in her hands. She threw the second one to Sofia.  
“Time to get up. I called the pizza service, we’ll get pizza and salad in twenty minutes. That leaves enough time for a shower.”  
“I’m not sure if I’m disappointed that you didn’t kiss me awake or happy that you took care of some food.”  
“Well, your stomach woke me up, I guess your happiness will be bigger.” Sara bent down and kissed Sofia. “You’ll get as many kisses as you want.”  
“So you have more than a shower in mind.” Sofia smirked.  
“I didn’t. At least not until you put this idea in my head.” Sara grinned.   
“Twenty minutes, we can’t let the guy wait.” Sofia got up, threw the towel over her shoulder and walked to the door. When Sara didn’t follow her she stopped, turned and looked at her. “What? I thought it’s time for a shower.”  
“I’m just enjoying this lovely look I’ve got. A naked, sexy woman leaving my bed. I like that.”  
“You can have it more often if I get my pizza on time.”   
“Should tell the guy he’ll get an extra tip for being early.” Sara went to Sofia, took her hand and walked with her to the bathroom.   
With the time limit on their mind there was no time for water games. They showered, Sara got Sofia some of her clean clothes and put Sofia’s clothes in the washing machine.  
“Now you’ve got something to change here. In case you fall asleep in my bed again.”  
“I hope that will happen soon.”  
“So do I.” The doorbell rang. “I’ll get the pizza. Because we’ve got to work, wine wouldn’t be a good idea. There’s some juice in the fridge.”  
“Okay.”   
When Sara came back with the pizzas and the salads Sofia had found some plates, juice on the table and she had knives and forks in her hands.   
“Get the juice and the forks and follow me.”   
“Alright.” Sofia did what she was told and followed Sara into the living room.   
“Sit on the couch.” Sofia sat down, Sara placed herself next to the blonde, gave her a pizza, put the salad in front of them.   
“Now we can eat in comfort.” Sara put her left arm around Sofia, pulled her close to herself and started to eat with the other hand.   
“I like that.”  
“What? The pizza?”  
“The pizza too, yes. I mean what you’re doing. Is this our date?”  
Sara thought for a second. “Yes, this is our date. If you want I’ll drive you home later and kiss you good-bye.”  
“I take my own car from here so you can kiss me good-bye here. Hopefully there’ll be more than only a good-bye kiss today.”  
Sara laughed and kissed Sofia. “I thought I let you eat.”  
“There’s no reason not to get a kiss after I finished a slice. I think pizza tastes better when you kiss. It’s like an extra topping.”  
“It’s a miracle to me that you were available, Sofia. Really. I mean, what’s wrong with the world? Why did nobody see how special you are?”  
“Well, women shift their attention on my brother, he’s Mister Boombastic.” Sofia grinned when Sara rolled her eyes. She’d hear this for the rest of her life. “And men don’t like to wait. They want to have and get everything ASAP. That collides with my wishes and imagination of relationships. Why this bitchy brunette got me in her bed before we even had a proper date will be a question forever. I reckon, she kisses too good.”  
“Do you regret it?”  
“So far not.”  
“No, I’m serious, Sofia. Do you regret this morning?” Sara asked and put her pizza away.  
“No.” Sofia stroke soft with her finger over Sara’s face. “No, I don’t regret anything. It was unusual for me but I don’t regret it. I don’t think you’ll make me regret it.”  
“It would be the last thing I do, after that you baby brother will kill me. I planed to live a little bit longer.”  
“I love him, he’s great.”  
“Where was he all the years before? You never mentioned him.”  
“He was in L.A., I drove over on a regular base to see him. And I didn’t mention him because we never talked about family.”  
“True.”  
“We can change that.”  
“We should.” Sara kissed Sofia. They should talk about a lot of things. 

A wanna be family member

„What happened to Sara?“ Sofia had seen her girl friend running out of the department minutes before. Sara didn’t look like she was in a hurry to go to an important case, she looked more like she was running away.   
Gil sighed. “A private problem.”  
“Private problem?” What kind of private problem? And why didn’t she come to Sofia? They were both off duty now, they could talk. Why did she run away? Private problems of Sara were Sofia’s business too. At least that was what she wanted to think. They were together for two weeks, if they wanted to make their relationship work, they had to talk about private things. That included private problems. Private problems were their problems.   
Gil didn’t know that but he must have seen the serious concern in Sofia’s eyes.   
“What do you know about her parents?” He didn’t know how much he was supposed to tell her. Sara and Sofia hadn’t been friends, he had seen them fighting a few times, but even he had noticed, they got along better the last days, they were friendly. Maybe something had happened, that had changed their relationship. He hoped that was the cases, he liked them both and had never understood why they were fighting.  
She assumed Grissom knew everything. He and Sara were close, they had been lovers. She could be honest with him.   
“Her mother killed her father and then committed suicide years later. She grew up in foster homes.”  
“Yes.”  
That was old stuff. Sara still suffered, Sofia had heard one of her nightmares, had held her to calm her down. She doubted Sara would run out of the department because of that. She had herself under control while she was working. Even when there were cases with child abuse or domestic abuse, Sara didn’t run away.   
“Her mother was here.”  
“Her mother is dead.” Sofia had that just mentioned a few seconds before.   
“That’s what she thought. In a way it’s right. And it’s wrong at the same time.”  
“Gris, stop talking like this. Tell me what happened to her.” She wasn’t in the mood to find out what he was trying to say. She wanted him to say all the things clear.  
“Sara’s mother, her biological mother, was here. Apparently Sara was adopted when she was a few days old. It weren’t her biological parents who died.”  
“What?” Sara had a mother? And this woman was here? Why did Sara run away? She should be happy.   
“Sara didn’t know until this morning that she was adopted. When this woman showed up and told her, she is her mother, Sara lost it.”  
“I saw her running. Did she say…?”  
“No, she left without words.”  
“And she’s off?” Sofia knew Sara was off.  
“Shift ended half an hour ago.”  
“I’ll look for her.” Sofia turned around. “Any idea where she might be?”  
“No. Beside, she loves the desert. No help for you in this case.”  
“Okay, thanks.” She had to find her on her own.   
“What are you going to do?”  
“I’ll drive around…try to find her.” She hoped Grissom wouldn’t ask why. She didn’t want to explain her and Sara’s relationship to him right now. She wanted to find Sara. Grissom just nodded and let her go.   
Sofia had no idea where to go. Would Sara go into the desert? It was impossible to find her there. Or would she go in a casino? Trying to forget everything by being under the influence of lights, people, machines, alcohol.   
Suddenly her beeper started to beep in pocket. It was Steve.  
COME HOME! NOW!!!

Steve had finished work on time and instead of having breakfast in a diner he went to a casino to have one of the buffets there. When he went for his second round he saw a familiar face, sitting on a machine. Sara. The girlfriend of his sister didn’t look good and he forgot his breakfast and walked over. As soon as Sara noticed him, she jumped up and ran away. Very odd. But what concerned him more was her face. The eyes red and swollen, a desperate look. She was certainly not in a good condition and not in a condition to be alone.   
There were many ways out of the casino, one door for the main strip and she had taken a detour to this door. Sara thought she had managed to escape Steve when she suddenly found herself running in a wall – a soft wall. And this wall had arms, that caught her, dragged her in and didn’t let her go. Steve had won, he had her.   
“Sara, what’s the matter?”  
“Steve…leave me…please…leave me.” She tried not to look at him.  
“No bloody way, honey.” He grabbed her harder, pulled her in his arms and lifted her up. “You’re not willing to come with me, I’ll take you with me.” He didn’t need her to cooperate, he was strong enough to get her with him anyway.   
“Hey, leave the lady alone.” A young man saw what Steve was about to do and crossed his way.  
“I’m a police detective.” Steve lifted his coat a little bit to show his badge.   
“Yeah? Good for you. They also abuse their girlfriends.”  
“She’s not my girlfriend, she’s my sister-in-law.”   
“It doesn’t matter who she is, she doesn’t want to go with you. You’ll respect that.”  
Steve sighed. “You know man, I’m happy that there are still people thinking like you, who don’t look away and stop guys from taking woman against their will. Right now, your awareness is slightly inconvenient for me. Sara? Would you mind telling him it’s all right? Otherwise we’ll call a black and white and let them handle it. I won’t let you run away like this. You can talk to me or to a police officer, your choice.”  
“It’s alright.” Sara whispered.   
“Lady, he…”  
“He’s not abusing me.”  
“You’re crying.”  
“That’s why he’s here. All I want is not to talk to him…to anybody.”  
“I don’t care. You’re suffering; I won’t let you alone when you feel like this. Friends don’t do that.” Steve stroked a finger over Sara’s face, catching some tears. She was not only a friend, she was family. Then he turned to the man. “Call 911 if you want, but I won’t let her go.”  
“Don’t. Please. Just let us go.”  
“Are you sure, Lady?”  
“Yes, I’m sure. Thanks for caring.”  
“Every time again.” The man followed them with his eyes.   
Steve had his arm around Sara, caressing her back. One reason was to make sure she won’t run away, the other was, he wanted to let her know, he was there for her.   
“Come here, baby.” He put his hands around her hips, lifted her up like she weights nothing and carried her to his car. Sara buried her face in his hair and coat. Her arms enlaced him.   
Without more words he opened his car, placed Sara on the passenger’s seat, but the seat bell around her and got in the car. One hand driving, with the other one holding on to Sara, he drove home.   
Before he carried Sara out of the car he sent Sofia a message to come home immediately. He was sure, Sara needed her now and Sofia was the only one he could think of who could get Sara to talk. 

Sofia knew Steve had a good reason why he wanted her home ASAP. She broke some speed limits, arrived at home, saw his car and jumped two steps at one time up the stairs. She found her brother in the kitchen, cooking tea.   
“What’s happened?”  
Steve handed her two cups of tea. “Go to your room.”  
“Sara?” There was hope in her voice and at the same time fear.   
“She’s fine – physically.”  
“Where…”  
“I found her in a casino, saw something is wrong and got her here. Not exactly what she wanted, but I didn’t care. I’m sorry to force your girlfriend.”  
“That was exactly the best thing you could do. Thanks Steve.” She hugged him.  
“You’re not the only one who cares for her. Make her smile again, Sofia.”  
“I’ll try.” She kissed him on the cheek and walked with the tea still in her hands to her room. The door was only ajar, Sofia opened it with her foot and closed it the same way proper.   
Sara was lying on Sofia’s bed, head away from the door, not moving when Sofia came in.   
Sofia placed the two cups next to her bed on the nightstand, then slipped next to Sara, embraced her, pulled her close. She let her face away, let her this little bit of freedom but she had to have her in her arms, let her know, she was there. She’d only be here and say nothing if that was what Sara wanted.   
She had no idea for how long they just laid there in bed, Sara had taken one of Sofia’s hands, hold it close to her face, kissed sometimes the fingers. The breath of her girl friend in her neck, her arms around her, feeling the warmth was good for Sara.   
“Do you know what happened?” Sara finally started to speak.  
“I saw you running away. And yes, I know why. Gil told me.”  
“He must know about us.”  
“Why?”  
“Otherwise he wouldn’t have said anything.”  
“You’re mad because he did?” Sofia didn’t care if Grissom knew she and Sara were a couple. He didn’t seem to care, she assumed there’d be no problems with him.   
“No. No, he told you, that’s okay. What do you think? Seeing me running away like crazy. Your girlfriend is a weirdo.”  
“My lovely girlfriend is sometimes a bitch, but not a weirdo.”  
“I ran away.”  
“You thought your mother is dead and out of the blue there’s a woman standing in front of you, telling you, she’s your mother. That’s hard.”  
“It wasn’t that. It was…I mean, I should be happy that my mother is still alive, my father maybe too, I’ve no idea. But…she gave me away. Sofia, my mother gave me away when I was a week or so. What kind of woman is she? Giving her baby away?” Having a mother who killed her father was hard, knowing that her true mother was somebody else and didn’t care enough about her to keep her, was even worse. If this story was true, her real mother was alive. She had given her away. Not even bother to slap her, punch her and kick her around, no, simply had given her away. That was worse than physically abuse.   
“Did she tell you why?”  
“No. As soon as I knew she was serious that she’s my mother, I left.”  
“There can be a lot of reasons why she gave you away…sometimes it’s better for the child to be away from the mother. Drugs, criminal records, no money, not able to take care of the baby, it might be that she gave you away because she thought it’s the best for you.” Sofia knew Sara would think of other things, the brunette would find reason why her mother didn’t want her, that made it Sara’s fault in the end. Absolutely bullshit. It was never the fault of the baby when the parents gave it away.   
“It wasn’t.”  
“She couldn’t know that. She couldn’t know where you’ll end.”  
“I had a mother, there was no need for foster homes.”  
“I know.”   
“She left me and almost forty years later she shows up at my work place. What did she expect? That I’m happy? How the hell did she find me? They’re not suppose to give the files away.”  
“A good private investigator can find foster kids, with some connections it’s not a problem.”  
“I don’t want her in my life. I never had her in my life, there’s no reason why she should be in it now.”  
“You don’t have to see her again, you don’t have to meet her.”  
“Don’t I? I thought you might want to talk me in it. You’re close to your family…”  
“Sara, I’ll never tell you what to do. If you don’t want to see anybody, I’ll accept that. You’re the important person for me, not a person who’s your biological mother. I don’t know her, I don’t care about her, I know you, and I care about you. A lot.”  
Sara turned around, her red eyes looking for Sofias.  
“Thanks.”  
“No need to thank me, honey.” Sofia kissed Sara softly, tasted the salt of the tears.   
“Did Steve tell you where he found me?”  
“Yeah, in a casino. Not your typical place.”  
“No, it isn’t. But it was loud, full of people, distracted me – for a while. Then he showed up, I tried to run away, but he knew where I wanted to go, cut off the way and caught me. He almost got in trouble with one guy, who thought, Steve is my partner and was abusing me. He threatened to call the police, didn’t care that he’s a detective. They can be abuser as well, were his words.”  
“I’m glad to know there’re some people in this town who care about others.”  
“That’s what Steve told him. Unfortunately he threatened he’d appreciate the police and then I have to talk to them. That was something I wanted even less than having him around. So I told the man it’s all right and Steve brought me here. He carried me.”  
“Show-off.” Sofia laughed and Sara had to chuckle too.   
“Can I stay with you for a little while?”  
“Stupid question.” Sofia kissed Sara. “You can stay as long as you want. This is your place too.” And there was no way Sofia would let Sara go anywhere now. She was too far from being fine to be alone.   
“Will I have to climb over women that your brother left behind?”  
“No, he goes usually to their places, he knows, I don’t want to have them here.”  
“Means I should be proud that I’m allowed to be around?”  
“If he would have a girlfriend, not an affair, I’d be glad to see her here. He hasn’t so there’s no reason to have every weekend another woman in my flat. He can move out into a building with a revolving door if he wants.”  
“I guess he wants to stay with you, he likes being with you.”  
“I like to be with him too. Having him and you here makes the flat perfect.”  
“Does it?”  
“Yes. You, in fact, make everything perfect.”  
“You’re sucking up.”  
“I’m honest.” Sofia closed her eyes. “What do you think of a quick shower and a long sleep? I’m tired, it was a long night and then I had to worry about my girlfriend. Having her here in my arms would make it up for all that. I can wash your back if you like and dry you with my fluffy towel.”  
“Whatever you want.”  
“What I want? Quite simple: I want you.” She kissed Sara gently. All she wanted was right now here with her. She wanted Sara in her arms. 

It was the first time Sara could remember that she didn’t want to go to work. She had stayed the whole day with Sofia, most of the time in her lover’s arms, now she was back in her apartment to get ready for work.   
What would be if she simply stayed at home? She could call in sick. Ask for a day off. She had enough overtime, all her cases were closed. There shouldn’t be a reason why she had to go there.   
Except for the fact that Gil knew what happened yesterday. He wouldn’t let her stay here, wouldn’t let her suffer and drown in her thoughts. He knew she wasn’t sick, she could work and all she wanted to do was avoiding the problem. The woman could be back today after Sara didn’t talk to her yesterday. If she was serious about the things she had said, she’d try it again. Why?   
Why bothering to talk to somebody who obviously didn’t want to talk to you. Sara made it clear, she wanted no contact to this woman, no matter who she was. And even if she was her biological mother, she had given her away, had abandoned her as a baby. There was no need to come to her now, after all these years. Where had she been thirty years ago? When Sara got abused. Where had she been twenty years ago? When Sara needed somebody to talk to in college, a home to go to in the holidays. Where had she been ten years ago? When Sara was in the middle of her problems with alcohol and was desperate for some help. The answer was always the same: not there.   
Now Sara’s life was all right, she had managed to handle her problems, she had built a nice life, she had a job she loved and she was in a relationship with somebody she…really cared for. She didn’t need a mother or whatever this woman was.   
This woman, if she was Sara’s mother, was maybe ill. Maybe she needed a kidney or bone marrow and remembered, there was this child she had given away years ago. The perfect donor. The daughter, the spare parts warehouse.   
All these thoughts didn’t help her, she had to go to work. Taking a side entrance, she walked into the lab and straight in the break room, where Greg was sitting. Yes, he too had seen her running away yesterday. She probably had to explain him why. Nothing she fancied.   
“Hey.”   
“Hey yourself Sara.” Greg smiled.   
“Listen, about yesterday…”  
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.”  
“You know?” Did the whole lab know? Was it common knowledge that her want to-be mother was there?   
“I know nothing, but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.” Her young friend got up and took her in his arms.   
“Thanks.” She hugged him. “You’re a friend, maybe we can talk about this after work? While we have a breakfast, I’ll buy.”  
“You said you’d pay for the breakfast that’s enough to make me go.”  
“The friend part should be more important.” She bopped him softly.   
“The friend part is priceless. I hope I gonna work with you tonight, friend.”  
“You want to learn something?”  
“As we found out years ago, the student is already a master.”  
“You found that out, no we.”  
“Don’t be fussy.”  
“I’m not.”  
“She’s correct.” Grissom came into the room. “There you are, I was looking for you guys. I’ve got a 419 for you. South Strip. Enjoy. And Greg, don’t get confused by all the stripper there. I know they think you’re cute but you’re a csi, don’t let them play you and don’t flush when they’re nice.”  
“Stripper? Me?”   
Sara started to laugh. “Don’t worry Gil, I’ll take care of little Greg.”  
“I thought so. Tell me if he spends more time looking at the girls than working the scene. I’ll change this night from work time into fun time for him.”  
“Stop teasing the young csi.”  
“The lab boy with the crazy hair.” Sara smiled.   
“If I’ll ever lose this title?” Greg sighed. 

Sara was supposed to go out tonight with Sofia but the detective had to give up her day off and was expected in the department so Sara ended up alone on her sofa. A quiet evening with a movie could be something nice, spending time with Sofia was definitely nicer. Unfortunately she had no choice in this case.  
Sara had taken a shower, put on her old sweat pants and a large t-shirt and was about to make herself comfortable on the sofa when the doorbell rang. Who was that? She hadn’t order something. And she wasn’t in the mood for a cult that wanted to recruit her. With an unfriendly look on her face she opened the door. Immediately a real smile appeared.   
“Hey Steve, what are you doing here?”  
“Looking for you.” He looked at her and smiled. “Sexy.”  
“Shut up, I don’t dress up for an evening on the sofa. This is comfy, it’s perfect.”  
“You can wear everything and still look good.”  
“What do you want?”  
“I want you to wear this.” He handed her a t-shirt. It was black and in shiny letters was ACDC written on the front.   
“Why?”  
“We’ll go out.”  
“Do we?” That was new for Sara. As far as she knew, she had this date with Sofia, nobody ever mentioned, she had a date with Steve if her girlfriend wasn’t available.   
“Yes. Jump in a jeans, some shoes and off we go.”  
“Who said I want to go out with you?”  
“There were times you’d have done everything to go out with me.”  
“You had your chance, missed it, honey.”  
“Everybody deserves a second chance, sweety.”  
“Where do you want me to take to?”  
“First to a club. A live band plays today, the theme of the night is: ‘Rock covers’ we’ll listen to classic songs, all played in a rock version and after that I’ll take you home.”  
“Your home or my home?” Sara smirked.  
“Mine.”  
“That was another thing I would have loved to hear a few weeks ago.”  
“I know. Now you hear all these things, make something out of it.”  
“Does it mean, we go there together and after half an hour you’ll disappear with another woman? While I dance with whoever?”  
“No, I take you out, that means, I’ll stay with you, dance with you and go home with you. If we have a good timing we’ll be home at the same time as Sofia and she’d be delighted to see you in her bed.”  
“Did you plan this?”  
“No, that’s a spontaneous idea. Because Sofia couldn’t be with you.”  
“When you don’t appear to an appointment, she’s there. If she’s away, you’re there. You cover each others backs really good.”  
“That’s what family is for. Come on, sister-in-law.”  
“As far as I know I’m not married to your sister.”  
“The two of you are a cute couple, that’s like being married. Come on, I don’t want to miss the start. Jeans, shoes, ready to go. You look beautiful the way you are, no need for make-up or an hour in front of the mirror to do your hair. We’ll rock and roll, we’ll head bang, and your hair will look wild at the end.”  
“Wonderful.” Sara sighed. “Make yourself comfy, get a drink or whatever. I’m with you in five minutes.”  
“No second longer.”  
“Patience.”  
“Don’t know that word.”  
Sara rolled her eyes and walked to her room. No Sofia and no quiet night. She should have known that Steve wouldn’t let her alone. He worried about her. Sara’s mother – if this woman was her mother – entered her life less than fifty hours ago, Sara was still shaky. She had worked the last night, the woman didn’t appear in the lab and was today until the early afternoon at Sofia’s place before she went back to her apartment, waiting for her girlfriend, who had to cancel their date.   
“As I thought, absolute sexy.” Steve smiled when Sara in black jeans, the black shirt and black boots left her bedroom.  
“Ditto.” He wore blue jeans, a white shirt and a black leather jacket.   
“That means we’re the perfect couple.”  
“Do you flirt with the girlfriend of your sister?”  
“Do you flirt with the brother of your girlfriend?” He asked smiling back.  
“Not anymore.”  
“Good. Come on, we’ll shake the house.”  
“You mean, we rock the house.”  
“That’s what I meant.” Steve put his arm around Sara and walked with her away. It was time to let her forget about her mother, her maybe mother and all the demons of her past. 

Are you enjoying a quiet evening on your sofa?  
Was Sofia kidding her? Didn’t she know where Sara was? Did Steve have the t-shirt out of Sofia’s closet by himself?   
I’m enjoying a live rock band, your brother, dancing and your black ACDC shirt. Was her respond. It was amazing. They were in between around one thousand people in a big club, dancing, head banging. Steve had kept his promise, he was the whole time next to Sara, danced with her and never kept his eyes out of her.   
“Are you flirting with somebody else while you’re here with me?” He teased her.  
“Your sister is asking if I enjoy the quiet sofa.”  
“Are you?” He grinned.  
“I told her where I am. You didn’t tell her we’d go out.”  
“I mentioned something, probably she believed you wouldn’t come with me. She underestimated my charm and my magic. Women do what I want.”  
“Do we?”  
“You’re here.”  
“I am and I enjoy the concert. Can’t remember the time I danced so much and so crazy.”  
“You look relaxed.”  
“I am. And totally exhausted. I might just fall down in an hour or so.”  
“I’ll catch you when you fall and carry you to bed.”  
“Whose bed?”  
“Who’s bed do you prefer?” He moved closer to her.   
“The bed of your sister.”  
“I’ll bring you there.” He looked down when Sara’s cell phone rang and the light showed a new message.   
He got you out? Well, you always wanted a date with him. As long as you end in my bed I wish you guys fun.  
“She read our mind.”  
“She’s a great detective.”  
“Of course she is, she’s my sister.”  
I’ll be there, I look forward to meet you there. Until that time I’ve to snuggle in your shirt, that way I’ve got a little bit you around me. Miss you.  
“You’re so cute.”  
“Shut up.”  
“I’m sure she misses you too.”  
“I gonna hurt you soon.”  
“Now it’s you who’s threatening me.”  
“Yeah, after you stopped threaten me, I can threaten you. But I’m happy you’re realize I won’t hurt Sofia.”  
“It’s always better to make sure.”  
“I know. I wish I’d have a brother like that.”  
“You have a brother-in-law like me; hold on, even better, it’s me.”  
“You’re smug.” Another thing he and Sofia had in common. It didn’t bother Sara anymore.   
“And you love it, chick.”  
“Chick? Look out for my boots. They might their way straight up in your ass.”  
“I like girls that kick asses.” He took her hand and pulled her back to the dance floor. A rock version on Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean, they had to dance. There was no excuse to stand around when the band played a classic like this.

Sofia was about to change into her sleep shirt when a text got her attention.  
Open the door, I deliver something for you. Steve. Did he forget his keys?  
She went down, open the door and found her brother standing in front of it. In his arms was Sara, sleeping.   
“Sssh, sleeping beauty is sleeping.” He whispered.  
“Is she alright?” Sara looked all right, she slept peaceful in Steve’s arms but Sofia had to make sure.   
“Yes, only exhausted. She danced all night, danced all her bad memories away. I think, this night she’ll sleep fine.” Sofia had told him, Sara was awake often the last two nights. That was another reason why he had her made to go out with him. He wanted her to be very tired so that she could sleep.   
“Thanks, she needs it.” Sofia closed the door behind them and followed Steve, who carried Sara straight to Sofia’s room and laid her gently down on the bed.  
“You take care of her from here. I’ve to sleep too. Good night, sis.”  
“Night, night, baby bro.” Sofia took a moment to savor the look of her sleeping lover. Sara looked so innocent, so sweet, and so adorable. Careful not to wake her up Sofia removed the boots, the jeans and the socks. She had no idea how she could get rid off the shirt without moving Sara a lot. She made the decision, if she had to do that, she’d be ready to pull her into her arms and hold her for the rest of the night…or day. It was already morning.   
Within seconds she had removed her clothes and slipped in underwear next Sara. Slowly she moved Sara’s arms so that they were over her head. Now she only had to remove the shirt. She took carefully in both hands and moved it up. The tricky part was when she arrived at the neck. She had to pull the shirt and to lift Sara.   
“Stop pulling on me.” Sara mumbled.  
“Sorry Hon, I’ve had to get you ready for bed.”  
“Mhmmmm.” Sara moved a little bit, enough for Sofia to pull the shirt over Sara’s head.   
“Thanks honey.”  
“Do you come in my arm now?”  
Sofia smiled. “Yes, I do.” She turned off the light and pulled Sara in her arms. Having their faces next to each other Sofia took the change to kiss Sara softly.   
“Your brother carried me again.”  
“I know.”  
“He’s a show-off.”  
“I know. But he carried you to me.”  
“Otherwise he’d be in trouble with me. You didn’t know he was taking me out?”  
“I knew he had this idea I didn’t think you’d join him. I’m glad you did, you look much better now. Seems like you danced away all your demons.”  
“I tried to. But I think, sooner or later this woman will be back. Can I hide here? She found out where I work, she’ll also know where I’m living.”  
“Running away won’t help you. She’ll come back to the lap. Don’t you want to talk to her in private? Better than next to Ecklie’s office.”  
“Are you trying to make me talk to her?”  
“No, I try to make this as easy as possible for you. If you want to talk to her, you can stay here as long as you want. But I think she’ll come back to the lab.”  
“Maybe you’re right. Don’t like it when you’re right and I’m wrong. Maybe we can argue about this.”  
“There’s this song: I don’t want to argue, I don’t want to fight coz you’re always wrong and I’m always right.”  
“Thanks hon.”  
Sofia kissed Sara. “Talk to her, ignore her, whatever your decision is, I’ll be with you. If you try to get rid off me, try harder. A mother won’t scare me away.”  
“She does scare me away.”  
“You’ve got two detectives here, we’ll take care of you.”  
“My private bodyguards.”  
“I love to guard your body…to discover it…to kiss it…hold it…”  
Sara turned and opened her eyes with a smile. Gently she kissed Sofia.   
“I’m very happy to have you, Sofia. Very, very happy.”  
“Ditto.”  
“May I have the honor to hold you while you’re sleeping?”  
“You may.” Sofia smiled. She couldn’t imagine anything better than that.

Work was good for her. Work was very good for her. Sara could concentrate on the case and forgot all her problems. And she had Steve by her side, who was watching over her. She was surprised that he managed to talk to the witnesses so often as he was with her.   
“Tell me, who is it.” Cath demanded. They had started this case four hours ago.   
“I have no idea. I found some fiber, some blood, I’ll bring it to the lab when I’m done here. But so far nothing that could let me make guess who the guy was.” A man was the victim of a robbery on the street. All her could give the csi was that he thought, the thief was a man and around six foot.   
“I’m not talking about the case.”  
“What are you talking about?” Sara looked up. Did she miss something? Did Cath say anything she was supposed to answer to and had missed the sentences before the question she heard?   
“Who’s the new one in your life?”  
“New one? In my life?” How did Cath come to a topic like this? A topic Sara didn’t want to talk about. Beside that, there was no new one.   
“The guys might not realize it but you can’t play me, Sara. There’s somebody in your life. This strange woman who was there a few days ago got you hard in the morning, I would have bet you’d off duty for the rest of the week when I saw you running away. The same evening you were back and you seemed to be steady. That wasn’t anything you did alone, that was what somebody did for or with you. So, who is it? Do I know this person? Could it be that we all work together?”  
“Why do you think I can’t manage my life alone?”  
“Oh, you can but not that good and not that fast.”  
“I managed my whole life alone.” Sad but true.   
“You survived your whole life alone.”  
“Whatever.” She had no interest in talking to Cath about her and Sofia. If she was about to tell somebody of her relationship, she wanted to make the decision to whom and when she talked. And a crime scene wasn’t her voice for a conversation.   
“I’ve got all statements of the people who were standing around.” Steve came back to them. “I’ll start to ring some bells, wake some people up. Are you ladies alright here?” He looked at Sara.   
“Yeah, we’re fine.”   
“Everything’s perfect.” Cath smiled.   
“Good. I’ll see you later.”  
Cath waited until Steve was away. “It’s him!”  
“What?”  
“The one in your life. It’s Steve. How did you do that?”  
“I didn’t do anything.” Why did she think Steve and Sara had a relationship?   
“Oh come on, I know the two of you spent your free night together. Rumor is you were dancing the whole night in a rock club and he never left your side. That says everything.”  
“That says, we went there for dancing and that’s it.” No reason to deny that.   
“Yeah sure, that’s what everybody would do. Having a date with Mister Boombastic, dancing the whole night and going alone into bed. Sara, I’m not naïve.”  
“And I’m not having an affair with Steve.” Sara got up. And she didn’t go to bed alone. She war carried to bed. “Never had, never will.” She closed her kit. “But I do have stuff for the lab so if you have anything I should take there, now is the time. I’ll go back to the lab.”  
“You’re tying to escape.”  
“I’m trying to work.”  
“Sooner or later I’ll find out but I think I already did.”  
“I’ll see you later in the lab.” Sara took her kit. Somebody should the meaning of ‘private life’ explain to Cath. It seemed like she didn’t understand that private life was private. 

“You’re done?” Steve came to Sara’s desk. It was seven in the morning, they had worked the whole on the case.   
“One minute.”  
“Perfect. Let’s have breakfast.”  
“Am I under your personal surveillance or do you try to feed me?” Not that she would mind, she just wanted to know.   
“Usually I’d say: First I feed you and than I’ll eat you but that won’t happen with you. So I’ll just feed you and leave the eat part to somebody else.” He stroke his hand over her back, gave her a quick massage on the shoulder. If he goes on with that Sara would sit at her desk for another few minutes. It felt good to have his hands massage away the tensions. She closed her eyes and concentrate on her breathing.   
“You’re flirting.”  
“I like to flirt. So far you never seemed to mind.”  
“No, I don’t.” Sara closed her file. A few more seconds and she’d stay here as long as Steve gave her the massage. “Okay, let’s go. Does Sofia come with us?”  
“We’ll ask her. I was here, talking to Cath because of the robbery when I had the idea to have Breakfast with you. I’m sure Sofia will join us.” Steve put his arm casually around Sara’s waist. Sara raised an eyebrow. If Cath saw that she’d annoy her next evening even more about her and Steve. The perfect picture for her gossip.   
“We’re not in a club.”  
“I know, doesn’t matter, we’re off duty.”  
“You’ll produce rumors we’ve got an affair.”  
“No, we’ll produce them. Feel free to tell them the truth.” He gave her a cocky smile and pulled her closer.   
“I tried. Cath thinks we’ve got an affair. I couldn’t convince her that this isn’t true.”  
“Did you tell her more?” He smiled.  
“No. Not her business.”  
“That’s why she doesn’t believe you…or if I think about it, she wouldn’t believe you if you tell her everything. Too unlikely.” He also didn’t believe it when Sofia told him, she was in Sara’s bed.   
“I know.” Sara chuckled. It was difficult for her to believe it all the time. But it was one of the few cases when reality was better than fantasy. 

“I’d like to talk to you.”   
These words were fatal for Sofia. She knew it when she heard them. Said were these words by the woman who called herself Sara’s mother. What was this woman doing here? What did she want from Sofia?   
“Did a crime happen to you?” Yeah, that was good, she had to try to stay business like.   
“I heard you saying you want to look for my daughter…I’d like to talk about Sara with you. It looks like you’re friends.”  
“Does Sara know that you’re here?”  
“No.”  
“Did you ask her if it’s alright that we talk?”  
“No.”  
In that case Sofia’s answer was easy. “I won’t talk to you without her permission.”  
“Do you ask her for her permission when you talk to everybody?”  
“This is about her, it’s about her private life. She isn’t a suspect, she isn’t a dead victim. If she’s all right with me talking to you, we can talk. Otherwise I won’t talk to you about Sara.”  
“You know she won’t give you her permission.”  
“I don’t think so.” As much as Sofia had heard from Sara about this woman, she wasn’t likely to agree that Sofia talked to her.   
“Means there’s no point in talking to you about her.”  
“No.”  
“Is that your last word?”  
“Yes.” Sofia wanted Sara to talk to this woman. It made no sense if she talked to her, that would only bring trouble in Sofia’s and Sara’s relationship.   
“Hey Sofia, do you want to join us for…” Sara stopped in the middle of her sentence when she saw the woman in front of Sofia’s desk.   
“…breakfast.”  
“I’d join you.”   
“I don’t have breakfast with strangers.”  
“I’m not a stranger, Sara, I’m you mother.”  
“My mother died.”  
“I’m alive.”  
“You’re not my mother. And I don’t have breakfast with liar either.”  
“I’m not lying.”  
“Sure.” Sara felt Steve’s arm around her, holding her closer to give her some support. On one hand she didn’t want his arm there, that made her look weak, on the other side, she was thankful that he was there.   
“Sara…” The strange woman tried again.   
“Sofia, do you join us? Now?”  
“Give me a minute, okay?” Sofia begged Sara would know that she didn’t and won’t do anything Sara didn’t want her to do. She hoped Sara would see it in her eyes.   
“We’ll wait for you in the diner.” Steve pulled Sara softly out of the office.   
“I think it was obvious.” Sofia closed her files.   
“She’s my daughter.”  
“I’ve no idea if you’re telling the truth or not…”  
“You’re not a scientist, she’s a scientist, she can do a DNA test and she’ll see I’m not lying.”  
“I used to be a csi, I know that she could do that.”  
“You could do that and show her I’m not lying.”  
“Doing that without telling is like betraying her. I won’t do that. I tell you what you can do if you’re telling the truth and want her to talk to you. Leave your card at her desk. She’ll throw it away, I know. But leave it there. Leave one with her supervisor Grissom and one with me. This way Grissom and me know how to reach you if she changes her mind. And then leave. The more you try to force yourself into her life, the more she’ll block you, withdrawal from you. Give her time, let her make the next step. Otherwise you’ll lose her before you ever had the chance to get into her life.” It was the best she could give the woman.   
“Do you know her long?”  
“No, but I think I know her better than most people who know her for a long time.”  
The woman looked at Sofia for a few seconds, then got a card out of her pockets.   
“Take this one, I’ll put one on her desk and will give one to her supervisor. Thank you.”  
“You’re welcome.” And Sofia hoped she wouldn’t be in trouble for this. 

“What did this woman want from you?” Sofia knew that would be the first thing Sara wanted to know when she was in the diner. And she was right. The blonde didn’t really sit when Sara’s question hit her.   
“She wanted to talk to me about you.” Sofia put her hand on Saras and was happy when the brunette didn’t pull her hand away.   
“What did you tell her?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Nothing?”  
“I told her if she wants to talk with me about you, I’ll need your permission. It’s your life, it’s private I won’t talk to her about this without you or your permission. Your reaction in my office made it clear, you don’t want me to talk to her.”  
“And she didn’t try?”  
“She tried and gave up. I can be stubborn too.”  
“Thanks…what do you mean with stubborn too?” Sara furrowed her eyebrows.   
“Nothing, honey.” Sofia smirked.   
“Do you think I’m stubborn?” No, Sofia didn’t think that, she KNEW that.   
“Yes!” She wouldn’t lie to Sara. Not even when she asked her things like this.   
“Why did she give up so quickly?”  
“I told her to leave you alone, to leave a card. This way you can make some contact if you want. And if you don’t want, she has to accept that.”  
“I hope she got that and will leave my life.”  
“You can tell the guards not to let her in the lab anymore.” Steve said.   
“I was thinking of this.”  
“She should be gone now. You’ll be safe in the lab.” Sofia stroked Sara’s hand with her finger. A little symbol that worked. Sara relaxed.   
“I’m sorry that she bothered you and that I was…not that trustful as I should be. Steve tried to whole time to calm me down by telling me, you’d never do anything I don’t want. I should know that without anybody telling me.”  
“Consider this as a fight, what means, we have to kiss and make up.” Sofia smiled.   
“Okay.” Sara had to laugh. And then she moved quickly closer to Sofia and kissed her cheek. “Consider this as a commission.”  
“I want the rest later and you can add some interest.”  
“Deal.”  
“I love watching you, you’re so cute.” Steve grinned.   
“Shut up, baby brother.”  
“No, really. Seeing you is like watching a perfect couple.”  
“We’re far away from being a perfect couple.” Sara said.   
“You’re on the way to it. Give yourselves a few more weeks and you’ll be there. You, my lovely sis-in-law, have to learn to trust Sofia and open yourself up to her. And you, my dear big sis, you have to learn to give Sara some freedom and have to be patience.”  
“Are we taking advice from a guy who’s divorced and has every weekend another woman in his bed?” Sofia asked Sara skeptical.   
“I don’t. Do you?”  
“No.”  
“That’s why you should listen to me, I know how NOT to do it. And I’m not made for long time relationships. I found that out in a very painful way. You can learn from my mistakes and don’t have to make the same ones. I offer help for free. Like Ophra.”  
“Ophra?” Sofia started laughing. “Oh Steve, you’re one of a kind. I’m so happy that you moved to Las Vegas. I’ve no idea where my entertainment was when you were in Los Angeles. You’re definitely…you’re my brother.”  
“Means?” Steve grinned.  
“That means…” Sofia tried to think of the right words.  
“…depends on who you’re asking. According to some people in the lab, you’ve got both great DNA. Of course I’d never reduce you on that.”  
“No, you wouldn’t.” Sofia laughed. “You weren’t interested in him because he’s Mister Boombastic.”  
Sara felt how her face got red. Why did Sofia say that? Sara wanted to strangle her.   
“I knew it.” Sofia knew her girlfriend was embarrassed now.   
“Wasn’t this guy made of plasticine?” Steve wondered.  
“Maybe. I can only remember he rescued this girl by putting down his pants.”  
“You want me to do the same for you, Sara? I’d do that.”  
“Shut up, baby brother. Keep your hands of my girl.”  
“I never fought with my big sis for a girl…could be interesting…but I think for now I’ll back off and try to find an answer to my question.” He got his cell out of his pocket.   
“I think my brother was coming after you for a second or two.” Sofia took Sara’s hand.  
“I think so too. Don’t worry, he can try as much as he want, he won’t have any success. I prefer the ice blue eyes and the long term relationship. He can have Cath, she’ll be happy to play with him again.”  
“Hah, I knew it. Plasticine.” He pushed his cell over to the two women. “I love the internet, it answers all your questions.”  
Sara and Sofia took a look at the screen of Steve’s cell. The old advertisement of the jeans with the song was playing g in front of their eyes. Chuckling and laughing they watched it.   
“I was thinking to let my hair grow. Shall I get this Elvis style haircut? Would that make me sexy? And I get a bike, buy me a pair of these jeans and all blond women on top of a burning house will be mine. The real Mister Boombastic.”  
“Oh Sofia, you know what I really like about your brother? He can laugh about himself.”  
“Yeah that’s why I keep him in my flat. He’s entertaining. Hey, there was this other ad, for the same jeans, with this sexy guy that jumped into the river, I think. Let’s see if we find that one too. I loved it.” Sofia started to play with Steve’s cell.   
“The song was cool…they had a lot of cool songs.” Steve said.  
“I’ve got it.” Sofia smiled.  
“That looks like Yosemite.” Sara guessed. The rocks reminded her of the photos she had seen of the famous national park.  
“Wow! I’d stare too.” And Sofia stared at the little screen. “Why can’t I see somebody like that when I go for a walk? All I see are drunken bastards who ask for some change.”  
“Honey, I sit next to you.” Sara reminded her with a sugar sweet voice.  
“You’d stop and stare with me, be honest.”  
“Yes, I would.”  
“Aren’t there any ads with hot chicks and cool music?”  
“Not that I can remember.”  
“No, I can also only remember the hot guys.” Sofia grinned and gave the cell back to Steve.   
“You, my beautiful brunette, can’t tell me that you never had a girl before my sis and you, my dearest sis, I know one girl who shared your bed and two you had a crush on. So please, ladies, don’t pretend to be anything you’re not.”  
“How often have you been interested in guys?”  
“Beside a football player for his skills? None. Women are too sexy. Bruce Willis was a cool guy, so was Jean-Claude van Damme. But they weren’t sexy.”  
“You’ll never bring a guy home? How boring.” Sofia grinned.  
“I’m man enough for your apartment. Having a blonde and a brunette in there, I’ve to get a redhead. Or a black one. What would you prefer?”  
“One you keep for a few months.”  
“One woman for a few months? Not my cup of tea. Not even your girlfriend…or let me think about that again…”  
“If try again to hit on my girlfriend I’ll kick you out of the apartment and let you kick out of the department so that you have to leave the city.” Sofia’s eyes became small and angry.   
“She’s territorial.”  
“Stop teasing her or it was the last time that I have breakfast with you. Dancing in clubs will be something of the past too.” Sara warned him.   
“Well, it’s nice to know you’re both serious with each other. If I get some trouble to find that out, it’s worth it.” He cocked his head. All he wanted to know was how serious both women were with their relationship and it looked like they took it very serious. That was all he needed to know. 

A new ‘mother’

First was the knock and before anybody could react or understand what was going on the door was open.   
“Good morning Love, I…oh, I’m sorry.” The female voice vanished and the door closed again.   
Sara’s eyes, sleepy first, were full of panic. Within a second she was fully awake.   
“Shit.” She was about to jump out of the bed but Sofia could hold her back.  
“What are you doing?” The blonde asked.   
“Getting the hell out of here?”  
“Why?”   
“Well, let me see. I’m naked, so I need something to wear and then…well, your…Captain Curtis was in this room only a few seconds before, saw you, saw me and I don’t have such a strong death wish that I gonna stay here and let her shoot me as soon as she is over this little moment of surprise, which can be over any second. So running as fast as possible, hoping that I can actually climb out of the window without breaking my neck, is my plan to stay alive.”  
Sofia, who still hold Sara’s arm, looked in disbelieve at her girlfriend and started laughing. Very hard.   
“Hon, you know, it sounds like a horror movie but it’s so funny. She’s my mother.”  
“I am aware of that. It’s part of why I want to run away as long as I still can run.”  
“Why should she shoot you?”  
“I’m in bed with you.”  
“And? Didn’t you say you’re not playing me?”  
“I am not playing you!” Sara stopped trying to get out of bed. Every time Sofia said something like Sara could be playing her, even when she wanted to tease Sara with it, like now, her blue eyes became shady, like there were some part deep inside her, that still believed Sara could be playing with her.   
“I don’t play you.” Sara repeated and took Sofia in her arms. “You should know that by now. It would be a long game. And there’s no reason for me to play you. It’s not like you’re my boss and I try to sleep my way to the top. A thing that’s not necessary if you’re talented enough to get the job you want.”  
“Means, there’s no reason to run.” Sofia smiled. “Beside, my mom knows who you are. If she wants to kill you, she knows where to find you. There’s no need to do it here, where her daughter would get some trouble. It’s easier to shoot you somewhere on your way to work or back.”  
“You’re not making me feel good, Sofia.”  
“I could do something to make you feel good, but that would take some time and it would be unkind to let my mom wait so long outside.”   
“Funny.” Sara narrowed her eyes.   
“Smile. I’ll be with you.” Sofia kissed Sara and kicked the blanket away. “I take care of my csi, you know that.” She handed Sara some clothes. Sara had brought a bag full with fresh clothes the last time. Whenever she ended up sleeping at Sofia’s place, she didn’t have to worry about going home to change. Sofia had done the same, they both could go to work from both places.   
“I gonna die, I gonna die, I gonna die.” Sara repeated when they were dressed and walked towards the door.   
“One day you will, like everybody else. Not today. And my mom won’t be the reason why you die one day.” Sofia took Sara’s hand, squeezed it for a second and opened the door.   
Her mother was sitting in the kitchen at the bench, drinking some coffee.   
“Hey mom.”  
“Good morning again. Or maybe I should say good afternoon.”  
“You know, for nightshift people your afternoon is the morning. Mom, you know Sara, I think you met once or twice at work. Sara, you know my mom. Be nice to each other, I’ll get some cake from downstairs. I’m back in a minute.” Sofia tried not to laugh when she saw the panic in Sara’s eyes. Her brave CSI, leaving scenes without officers, facing crime and criminals day by day, never scared of anything and here she was, almost dying by the thought she had to spend a few minutes alone with Sofia’s mother. So cute.   
Sara’s thoughts were slightly different. She was killing Sofia in her head, very slowly and very viciously for leaving her alone with the captain. The older woman took another sip of her coffee and looked at Sara. She studied the CSI.   
“Are you scared of me?”   
Sara had to swallow. Was it better to be honest and say ‘yes’ or should she pretend to be tough and say ‘no’. Showing weakness to the mother of the girlfriend, the police captain mother wasn’t the best idea. Lying to a police captain who could smell a lie before you had finished it, wasn’t smart either.   
“Yes.” Sara almost pressed herself against the wall. She was a poor show. Where was her self-esteem? She wasn’t a suspect, she didn’t do anything wrong.  
“Why don’t you have a seat, Sara?” The captain offered and pointed to the stool on the other side if the bench. So damn close to her. “Want some coffee?”  
“Yes, please.” Hoping she didn’t shake on her way to the bench Sara’s legs started moving and she sat straight across the bench to the captain.   
“I appreciate honesty, Sara.“ Sofia’s mother poured Sara some coffee. “Cream? Sugar?”  
“No, thanks.”  
“Straight black, same like me. So tell me, Sara, why are you scared of me? Do you play with my daughter?”  
Why was everybody thinking she was playing Sofia? What kind of reputation did she have? What did she have to do to show that she was serious?   
“No!”   
“Then there’s no reason to be scared, is there?”  
“I…don’t know.” Oh Sara, get a grip. Try to keep a little bit of your self-respect.   
“I can assure you, there’s no reason. You’re how long together? A few weeks? Three?”  
“Yes.” Why did the captain know that? Did Sofia tell her?  
“I’m a mother and a captain, Sara, I can see when there’s a change in the life of my only daughter. And she had changed a few weeks ago. To her best, so don’t start to worry again. There was something missing in Sofia’s life, now it seems like she had found it. I can see, you make her happy. Does she makes you happy?”  
“Yes.” A little smile appeared on Sara’s face. Yes, Sofia made her very happy.   
“Do you care for her?”  
“Of course.” She had cared for the detective before she knew she cared. That was the reason why she was all the time annoyed with Sofia. It had taken Sara some time but finally she had seen it. Sofia had been so annoying because she had been in Sara’s mind too often to be only a colleague. Sara had had some feelings for Sofia and didn’t want to admit that to herself, so she blamed the detective and was bitchy when she saw her.   
“Do you love her?”  
“I am…I care a lot for her, I’m in love with her.” Sara said carefully. She never said to Sofia that she loved her. It never felt right, not because it was Sofia, it was so early. How could she tell somebody she lover her after only three weeks? Love a big thing for her, she never said this words easily. When she said somebody she was in love, she meant it and it wasn’t something that vanished within a few weeks.   
“I like you, Sara.”  
“What?”  
Now it was Sofia’s mother who was smiling. “You don’t try to give me some crap just because you think I want to hear that. You answered my questions honestly. I guess it’s not that easy to tell the mother of your girlfriend that you’re scared of her and it’s obvious, like you said, that you care for her. I asked you if you love her for a simple reason: I’m her mother and I want to know if you’re serious about my daughter. You care a lot for her, you’re in love with her. I believe you that. If you had told me that you love her, I’d say to your face right now that you’re lying or you have no idea what love is. You can’t really love somebody after a few weeks. True love needs time. Too many people say too easy and too fast that they love somebody. I can see by your answer, you are not one of these people.   
All I want is somebody who loves my daughter, who makes her happy. I’m sure you can do that and I hope she’ll do the same to you. Now, if my daughter messes up with you, tell me, I’ll kick her ass.”  
“I beg your pardon?” Sofia had heard the last words. “Mother, what are you doing? Why can’t I leave you alone for a minute? Did you threaten Sara? Leave her alone.” Sofia put her hand on Sara’s shoulder. “Don’t you dare to scare her.”  
“Too late, she is already scared. Somehow she was it before I said anything but I told her, there’s no reason.”  
“You try to scare her more or threaten her, you’ll have some trouble with me, mom. She’s my CSI I’ll take care of her and she’s my girlfriend, I won’t let her suffer from my police captain mother who likes to scare people.”  
“Why don’t you take a coffee, sit down and relax, honey?”  
“Mom!”  
“She didn’t do anything, Sofia.” Sara said carefully.   
“I know her, she did do something.”  
“She said she’ll kick your ass if you mess with me.”  
“Why would I do that?”  
“I hope you won’t.” Sofia’s mother said. “I like Sara. I knew she’s a great CSI, even I heard about that and I know after a few minutes, she’s a good person. I could see the last weeks, she’s got for you and she didn’t try to give me some bullshit like some of your last dates. If I meet somebody who wants to tell me he or she loves my daughter after the second or third week, I know, this person is lying. I can remember the last guy you met…”  
“Mom, don’t go there!” Sofia tried to stop her mother.   
“You know Sara, I met and him on their second date, accidentally. This guy played the tough one, told me he adores my work, isn’t scared and that he loves my daughter. They had met a few nights before for the first time…”  
Sofia covered her ears with her hands and buried her face in Sara’s jumper. She wanted to be somewhere far, far away.   
“…all he wanted was to get her into his bed, stupid bastard. I told him right away he’s a liar, should stop sucking-up or become better in it and should leave the life of my daughter right now or I’d make him regret it. He need to shake something, he can go to a nightclub and get one of these cheap bitches or use his hands.”  
“She really said that. In public. I’ve no idea how many people heard that. It was so embarrassing. Of course he left immediately.” Sofia whined, her head still buried in Sara’s jumper.   
For the first time Sara was really relaxed and started laughing, imaging the captain telling the man off and her daughter being so embarrassed.   
“That wasn’t funny.” Sofia protested.  
“No, that was necessary.” Her mother said. “If you start to fall for such a kind of man I’ve to do something, I’m your mother.”  
“I didn’t fall for him, it was the second date, all he did was kissing me good-bye after the first date, that’s it. You acted like he forced me into his bed.”  
“He did that with his thoughts, I could see it.”  
“Steve isn’t doing anything else.”  
“You know I’m not happy with your brother’s way of life and I’m very happy you’re not like him. As much as I love him, this sleeping around isn’t good. There’s no need that my daughter does the same.”  
“I’ll take care that she won’t.” Sara offered with a smile.   
Sofia snorted. She looked at Sara, telling her lover only with her eyes that Sara did nothing else when she pinned Sofia to the wall had sex with her before they ever talked about dating. But that was thing her mother didn’t need to know.   
“You will, I know. I wish I could get Steve to get a lovely girlfriend like you.”  
“She tried to do that too.” Sofia grinned. “She called him Mister Boombastic and…ouch…” Sofia hold her shoulder where Sara had placed a punch.   
“She hit me!”  
“That wasn’t a hit, that was a love sign.” Sofia’s mother said. “She told you in a very loving way that you should think what you say.”  
“It was a hit.” Sofia tried to look offended.  
Sara wrapped her arms around the blonde.   
“Sorry hon.”  
“You ever do that again, you’ll find yourself on the ground, restrained and then I’ll let you suffer.”  
“Who’s the brutal one?”  
“You’ll find out, love.”  
The beeper of Sofia’s mother suddenly started to make some noise.  
“Well, I’ve to go. Thanks for the coffee and the cake, Sofia. It was nice meeting you, Sara.”  
“Likewise, Captain.”  
“Sara, you’re family now. It’s mom or if you feel uncomfortable with that, it’s Marie. Choose one, but not Captain. Understand?”  
“Yes, Ma’am.” Sara smiled.   
“Mom. You almost have it, try a little bit you’ll be fine the next time we meet.” Maria kissed her daughter and hugged Sara. “Take care you two.”  
“You too.”  
Sofia waited until her mother had closed the door behind herself.   
“You survived.” She kissed Sara softly.   
“Yes I did.”  
“Told you no need to climb out of the window.”  
“No.” Sara pushed Sofia a little bit away. The detective was alert immediately. Not because of these few inches but the look in Sara’s eyes made her alert.   
“What’s wrong?”  
“Did I hurt you?”  
“What? When? No.”  
“I didn’t mean to hit you…”  
“Sara, you didn’t hit me. You can’t be serious about…you are.” Sara’s eyes told Sofia she was very serious.  
“No honey, you didn’t hurt me and I didn’t feel like you hit me. It was like you bopped me. There’s really no need to worry about that.”  
“If I ever come close to hurt you, in any kind of way…”  
“You? Hurting me? You’re too concern.” Sofia embraced Sara and kissed her gently. “Why do you think you hurt me? Why do you worry about this little nothing so much? It was nothing more than a game between lovers. It wasn’t abuse.”  
Sara winced when Sofia said ‘abuse’.   
“Come.” Sofia took Sara’s hand.   
“What?”  
“I think we need to talk and I don’t want to talk with you here, standing in the kitchen or sitting on a stool. Let’s take the sofa.”  
“Sofia, I…” Sara didn’t want to talk. She knew where it would bring and she didn’t want to go there.   
“You don’t want to talk about it?” Sofia could see it in Sara’s eyes and that was a thing that hurt. Sara didn’t trust her enough to talk with her about personal things.   
“I want…but…I can’t…now.” Sara knew she was hurting Sofia, she could see it, it torn her heart. She took the hands of the blonde, holding them and looked for these blue eyes she fell in love with.   
“I want to tell you, but I need a little bit more time. There are…there were some things in my life that weren’t nice and…well you know that I had foster parents…but that wasn’t the only bad experience I made. I will tell you about my…about the time when I was young, but…I’d prefer to do that on a day we’ve got the night off and have all the time in the world to talk. If we do that now, I don’t think I could go to work later. I’d need some time to get my head straight, I’d need some time with you, would need you in my arms to cope with all that. I can ignore it if I don’t have to talk about it but when…” Sofia kissed her.   
“Don’t go further or you’re talking about it. I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be here tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or whenever you’ll fell like talking. All I need to know is that you trust me.”  
“More than anybody else.” Sara smiled a little bit.   
“Good. That’s all. And for now I’d say we both are going to have a lovely bath, that will not only be good for your soul, it will also be a nice way to finish this afternoon and get prepared for work.”  
“Did I mention that I’m very happy to have you?”  
“I guess I heard that before…but you’re welcome to say it more often.” Sofia kissed Sara softly. She knew she had to comfort Sara a little bit. She could see the brunette wasn’t easy, she was tensed. 

Sara met Sofia’s mother faster than she thought. It was only a few days later when the captain knocked on the door of the room where the csi was standing in, processing some evidence of a case she was about to close.   
“Hello Sara.”  
“Captain…” The look Sofia’s mother gave her let Sara rephrase her greetings: “Hi Marie.”  
“Good girl.” Marie chuckled. “How are you?”  
“I’m fine. What are you doing here? Changed departments?” Sofia’s mother worked in another department, they had their own csi and she was usually not here in Downtown Vegas.   
“I have a case that’s a little bit stuck and there’re some kind of bugs involved so I paid a visit to your boss. He’s the best if you’ve got something with bugs. And on my way out I thought I can say hello to you, look how you are.”  
“Little bit tired, my last case took some overtime but I think I can close it today or tomorrow.”  
“You’re a good csi.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Did you see Sofia?”  
“Not today.” They didn’t work this case together and Sara had slept at her place the last day because she had to do some housework. Since she and Sofia were together Sara had been a little bit sloppy with other things and needed to pay some attention to other things than Sofia. Even if she didn’t like that.   
“Oh well, it’s not too bad to have a break from each other, that makes every meeting a little bit more special. I’m sure she’s fine and missing you.”  
“That’s what her text said.” Sara smiled. They didn’t see each other but they sent text messages. “I’m working with Steve.”  
“I hope you have some good influence on him. He needs it.”  
“He’s a wonderful man.”  
“I wouldn’t disagree on that, I love my son but there’s one thing we don’t agree and it’s the right of a mother to hope her child will change a little bit so that she’s completely pleased with him. If he doesn’t it doesn’t mean I love him less. I just have to kick his ass every now and than.” Marie grinned and Sara had to chuckle.   
“Poor guy.” She wondered why she had been afraid of the captain. There was no reason to be, none of the mothers of Sara’s partner had ever been that open – hearted to her. Especially when she thought that she and Sofia weren’t that long together and she had met the captain only two or three times before that and since the relationship with Sofia.   
“Are you alright, Sara?” Marie came in the room, closing the door.   
“Yes…”  
“Didn't we both find out we don’t like it when people bullshit us? So why do you try to that right now, Sara?” Marie asked, her voice still friendly. “If you don’t want to tell me what’s on say it’s none of my business and I’ll shut up.” Sara couldn’t find any critics in Marie’s voice or any other evidence of that the woman was hurt or angry, what surprised her. Usually people were hurt or angry if they caught you lying.  
“I don’t think it’s a good place to talk about that and frankly I don’t feel like talking about it.”  
“See, so easy.” Marie put her hand for a short moment on Sara’s shoulder. “I’ll accept that and will leave you to your work. Don’t forget to go home on time, Sofia said, you like to forget that you’ve got a life.”   
“I’m getting better.” Sara grumbled. She had cut down overtime as much as possible since she and Sofia were involved.   
“I’m sure you are, don’t let her tease you too much.” Before she left the room Marie stopped and looked straight into Sara’s eyes. “If you feel like talking – and sometimes the partner isn’t the right person to talk about something – you know where to find me. I’m more than happy to listen or help in any way I can. If and when you feel like it, Sara.”  
“Thanks Marie.”  
“You’re welcome, honey. See you around.”  
“Bye.” Sara followed Sofia’s mother with her eyes. Well, she knew now why Sofia was amazing; she got it from her mother. Sara hadn’t met Sofia’s father yet but it seems like the whole family was a bunch of great people. 

The next time Sara surprised herself by showing up in the office of the captain. She had finished work, was looking forward to two nights off and somehow she ended up here without ever thinking of it.   
“Sara.” Sofia’s mother was working days, so she had only started when the brunette appeared at her door.   
“Cap…Marie.” I felt wrong to call her by her name when they were in the department and Sara could see all these little things that showed she was in the room of a captain. A successful police captain. Calling her by her name seemed like Sara disrespected the woman.   
“Come in, have a seat.” Sara closed the door and sat in front of the desk.  
“Would you like some coffee?”  
“Yes, please.” Coffee was always good. A good start.   
Marie poured Sara some coffee and the first sip let the investigator raise her brows.   
“Wow.”  
“You like it?” Marie smirked.  
“It’s great. What kind of coffee is it?” It reminded Sara of Greg’s coffee.   
“It’s fresh. I’ve got my own machine here and I’ve got a mill for the beans. Your coffee was produced ten minutes ago.”  
“It’s delicious.”  
“Come over more often and you can have more. Don’t tell my daughter, otherwise she and her brother will be here and sooner or later my coffee machine won’t be here anymore.”  
“I won’t tell them.” Sara had to laugh.   
“I love them but there’s a line and this line is called coffee.”  
“Everybody needs something for themselves.”   
“Like a little secret?” That was Sara’s sign. She knew, Marie had thrown the ball to her, it was up to Sara to tell her why she was here. The captain knew, it wasn’t a visit because Sara wanted to see the mother of her girlfriend.   
“I thought about what you said a few days ago…what you offered.” Sara started carefully.   
“The offer is still there.”  
“What did Sofia tell you about my family?”  
“Sofia? Nothing. It’s not her business to tell me about your family. If I want to know something I can ask you. She knows that.”  
“You don’t know anything?”  
“Sara, I know about you and Sofia less than two weeks, I saw my daughter three or four times in these two weeks and no, she didn’t tell me anything. All I need to know is that you make her happy, which is obvious, the rest isn’t my business unless you tell me.”   
“I don’t have parents.”  
“I’m sorry to hear that.”  
“My mom…” Sara sighed. She hadn’t told Sofia this, wasn’t she supposed to tell her lover first? Instead of that she was sitting here, talking to the captain.   
“You don’t have to tell me.” Marie offered.  
“I was just wondering if it’s right to tell you, I haven’t told this Sofia. What if I hurt her when she finds out I talk to her mother first?”  
“Is there a reason why you haven’t talked to her about your past?”  
“It’s not a nice one. My mom killed my dad when I was a child. They put her in a psychiatric hospital where she committed suicide a few years later.” So far Sofia knew the story. Sara knew Sofia was close to ask a few times to get some more details about Sara’s past but hold back to put no pressure on Sara.   
“Two weeks ago a woman appeared and told me, she’s my mother. My biological mother. I don’t believe her. She left her card which I burnt as soon as I got it. Sofia somehow managed to make this woman go back to wherever she is from. So she knows about her. She never told me to find out if the woman was right or if she’s a liar, she never told me to talk to her.” Sara stopped, smiling because Sofia was so patience and understood her so well and heart-broken at the same time because she didn’t talk to the detective about everything. How could they get that close in these few weeks? What was wrong? Sara had never attached herself so close to somebody in such a short time. She was very careful with trusting people, what was the difference between Sofia and all her lover she had before?   
“Sara?”   
“Sorry.” Sara shook her head a little bit to get focused again. “This woman, she left this with Grissom.” Sara took an envelope out of her pocket. “Her card is inside…”  
“If she licked the envelope you’ve got her DNA and that would tell you if she’s lying or not. But you’re a CSI you know that better than I do.” Marie said.  
“Yes.” Sara closed her eyes.  
“But you can’t do the test yourself and you don’t want anybody in your lab to do it, right?”  
Sara nodded. “I have no idea how I react if she’s really my mother…and I…I don’t know her. I’ve no clue about her…” Sara stopped and closed her eyes.   
Marie got up, walked around the desk and laid a hand on Sara’s shoulder. “I can take care of that. Get a DNA profile of this woman and compare it with yours. You’re in the system, it won’t be a problem. Then you can get the truth at home or at Sofia’s place, wherever you feel the most comfortable. And she can be there, I think no matter what I’ll find out, you can use her by your side.”  
“I want, need her by my side all the time.” Sara sighed. “That scares me almost more than to hear what the DNA profile says.”  
“Oh Sara.” Maria had to laugh quietly. “It’s called love and I’m glad to hear you feel so. I can assure you, my daughter feels the same. Her thoughts are always with you and she loses herself in a sentence because she’s thinking of you. If I wouldn’t be that happy for her it would be annoying sometimes that she doesn’t finish the sentence she started.”  
“She does?” Sara couldn’t believe it. She thought, she was the only one who acted like a fool. Sofia did the same. That was good to know and so cute.   
“Yes, she does. The two of you should really talk more.”  
“I’ve the next two nights off, she has tonight off, and we can start talking tonight. I’ll tell her about…this…”  
“Would you like me to find something out about this woman?”  
“You can do that?” Sara asked surprised.   
“You have no idea what I can do. There’s a reason why they’re all scared of me.”  
“I’m not scared…anymore.” Sara smiled lightly.   
“I hope you’re not.” Marie blinked at Sara. “And now go home, have some sleep and let me handle this. I’ll contact you when I’ve got all the information you need.”  
Sara got up. “Thanks Marie.”  
“Every time, Hon. You’re family.” Marie hugged Sara. “Call Sofia to come over this morning if she isn’t already on her way to your place.”  
“I hope she is.”  
“One more question: Am I suppose to talk with her about this or do I not know about anything?”  
“If you’d tell her you don’t know about this you’d lie. Don’t lie to Sofia.“ Sara would tell her now. There was no reason and no need that Marie would lie to her daughter.   
“See, that’s why I like you Sara.” The captain smiled. “Go home.”  
“Yes, Ma’am!”   
Sara left the office with a little smile on her face. She felt much better after talking to the captain. Crazy. She felt better after talking to somebody she…did she really know Sofia’s mother? Hell no, but she knew this woman could help her and she liked her. She treated Sara as a daughter and that was more than anybody else ever did. Not her mother, not her foster mothers ever did that.   
Sofia was at Sara’s place, sitting on the couch, watching TV.  
“Hey.” Sara bent down and kissed her.   
“Hi. Did you lose your way home?”  
“No. Why?” Sara sat next to her lover and pulled her into her arms.   
“I was at the lab and they told me you left only five minutes before. I’m sitting here almost an hour.”  
“Sorry Hon, I had a little appointment.”  
“An appointment? At this time?” Sofia’s voice was slightly suspicious.   
Sara sighed. “Care for a shower? I’d like to talk to you and I think that will take some time so it’d be nice if we can have a shower first, maybe a bite and then talk.”  
“Are you going to tell me something I don’t like?” Sofia withdrew herself from Sara. “I don’t want a shower and food if it’s something like that. I want to hear it now. No need for a shower if you don’t want me anymore.”  
“I don’t want you anymore?” Sara’s face was full with disbelief. “How can you come up with something like that?”  
“You sound pretty serious and it sounds like it’s nothing nice…”  
“Oh Hon.” Sara held her out for Sofia’s hand. “Come here.”  
“Sara…”  
“Come here, please.”   
Not really convinced Sofia moved towards the brunette. Sara simply pulled the blonde on her lap.   
“I’m not leaving you. We should talk about this too, I think. And no, I don’t mean leaving you, I mean your fear that I leave you. The other thing I’d like to talk about is this woman who said she’s my mother.”  
“Is she back?”  
“No. Not as far as I know. Shower, food, talk?”  
“Can we talk in bed? I’d like to be in your arms and as close to you as possible.”  
“This, my sweet angel, is a thing we can arrange. In fact, I love to have you in my arms too. Let’s start with that in the shower.” Sara pulled Sofia up and kissed her.   
They took quickly a shower, Sara found some danish in her fridge that haven’t been in there before. An innocent looking Sofia explained the danish must have stalked her here and they should eat them for that harassment.   
Snuggling in each other’s arms they fed each other with the danish, enjoying it when one of them dropped a little crump so that the other had to pick it up with her lips. This way it took them some time to eat but they really enjoyed it.   
“Would you like to tell me why you’re so scared that I leave you or shall I start first? Do you want to tell me at all why you’re scared? You don’t have to if you don’t want.”  
“I think I owe you an explanation.”  
“You don’t owe me anything, Sofia.”  
“Yes, I do.” Sofia found Sara’s eyes. “If we want to make this work we have to talk.”   
Sara had to smile. That sounded a little bit like something she had heard this morning.   
“Okay, it was my idea to talk so I’ll start. I was late home because I was at your mothers.”  
“What? I thought she’s working.”  
“She is.”  
“What are you doing there? She isn’t in our district and I thought you were off.”  
“I was. It was private. She was in the lab a couple of days ago, I told you she had a case and needed Grissom’s help. After she talked to him she came along to me, we talked a little bit and she offered me that whenever I need some help or somebody to listen, I could come to her. Sometimes there are things you can’t talk about with your partner, at least not until you have figured them out with some other help.   
Today I took her offer and talked to her. I got the envelope with the card of this woman from Gris, drove to your mother and asked her to find out if this woman is telling the truth. Or more she offered me to do that. I know, I work in the lab, I can do all the DNA things myself but I can’t. I thought about it but I can’t do it and I don’t want to ask anybody else in the lab. I don’t want them to know before I know. That’s why I asked your mother and she promised to take care of it. She’ll use the DNA of the envelope and the finger prints to verify that this woman is first of all the one she pretends to be, second not a psycho and third, really my mother.  
I know it was probably wrong not to talk to you first but I needed to have it out of the world to get it out of my mind. And somehow…it seems like your mother likes me and I like her, it’s nice to talk to her. Don’t get me wrong, I like to talk to you too, I really do but your mother…talking to her makes me feel like…it feels like…well…that sounds stupid when I say it this way but I’ve no idea how to pack it in the right words…it feels like I think it might feel when you talk to your own mother as a daughter. I never had this feeling, not when I was with my mother nor when I was with my foster parents. It’s something new, it’s strange, it’s scary, it’s nice, it’s fascinating, it’s…” Sofia kissed Sara softly.   
“I think I understand.”  
“You’re not mad because I talked to your mother first?”  
“You’re talking to me now. And as I said I think I understand what you mean. I’m happy you and my mother go along so good and yes, she likes you a lot. I think she sees you as a daughter. You what that means, honey?”  
“What?”  
“My brother calls you sister-in-law, my mother sees a daughter in you, you’re family.”  
“That’s what she said too.”   
“Whatever she’ll find out about this woman – be prepared she can tell you everything from the size of the shoes to any diseases as a child when she’s done with her – you have a family. A caring mother, a heart-breaking brother and a weak girlfriend.”  
“I don’t have a weak girlfriend, I’ve got a wonderful girlfriend.” Sara pulled Sofia on top of her and kissed her. “Stop saying something stupid like that.”  
“Wanna hear something else stupid?”  
“I doubt that there’s something stupid coming out of that pretty mouth of yours.” Sara kissed Sofia again. “Can’t be. These lips are too delicious to have any bullshit coming over them and this tongue is too delicate for saying something stupid. Nope dear, there can’t be anything stupid.”  
“Stop that. Don’t make me laugh.”  
“I like your smile.” Sara drew Sofia’s smile with her index finger.   
“I like being in your arms.” Sofia slipped down from Sara and snuggled in her lover’s arms. “It can never be too close.”  
“Stay in my arms.”  
“Didn’t plan anything else for the rest of the day and the night.”  
“Then we’ve got the same plans.”  
“I hoped so.” Sofia sighed. “Ready to listen?”  
Sara moved the head of the blonde so that they could look in each other’s eyes.   
“The question is, are you ready to talk? You don’t have to. I can wait.”  
“It won’t get better if I wait. I’ll confuse you even more because you don’t understand why I act that weird.”  
“Nobody said you act weird.”  
“I do.” Sofia placed her head on Sara’s shoulder and closed her eyes. It was time to tell Sara something from her past, a past that wasn’t as nice as it most times seemed.   
“When I was sixteen I met Dan. He was sweet, he was in my year, he was smart and he paid attention to me. We fell in love and not like other high school romances, we didn’t break up while high school. We had our prom together, we planed our time on the college together, we went to the same college. Sweet fairytale story, you can say. He did everything for me, he never asked me to change anything for him. I lived in a pink world for over four years. Then this world crashed. He didn’t leave me, I left him. I found out all these years I wasn’t the only he made happy. He had betrayed me since high school. He never left my physical but he left me mental and by heart after less than one year.   
Since that time, since I found out what he did, I’ve got problems to trust people when it comes to relationships. I’m afraid that anybody could hurt me like he did. It took me years to get over it, I withdrew from everything until I started working as a police officer. My parents and my brother knew it had something to do with Dan, I never told them what he did. I was afraid they would shoot him. Not that I mind him being dead but I wanted to be the one who killed that son of a bitch. At the end I didn’t do anything to him, stupid as I am.   
He let me believe he loved me for years. He left me and I never noticed that. I guess that’s why I’m so scared that you leave me. I…I can’t explain it with words but I’m always scared I wake up and you’re gone. Really gone like physical not there anymore or emotional gone like betraying me. I had the same problems in my last relationships that why they didn’t work out. None of my partners could figure out why I was so scared, none could handle it, none really tried to handle it. And I was so busy withdrawing and worrying, it never crossed my mind telling them what happened. I guess if they had asked, I’d have told them everything but they didn’t so I didn’t and it didn’t work out.”  
“You told me.” Sara kissed Sofia’s forehead.  
“You asked me.” A little smile appeared on Sofia’s face. “You pay attention.”  
“It’s hard not to notice when you fear I leave you only because I want to talk to you.”  
“You can think I’m crazy, I’m overreacting or making a scene.”  
“I’d be quite stupid if I’d think one of these things.”  
“The others thought so.”  
“Then they were stupid. Very stupid what makes me very happy because I’ve got you and I don’t plan to loose you. Quite the opposite, I want to keep you. And I’m gonna start by not letting you go away until your shift starts. There’s no way you’ll leave this apartment. You might be allowed to leave the bed, can use the bathroom and the kitchen, but you won’t set a foot in front of the front door. You stay right here, right here with me.”  
“Thanks.” Sofia kissed Sara. “Maybe we’re both nutcases.”  
“They say only a nutcase recognize a nutcase. If we’re crazy I like being crazy. Hell, I am crazy. Crazy for you. You can stop worrying.”  
“I try to.”  
“I’d love to promise that I’ll never leave you, but that’s a thing you can’t promise. Not if you’re serious about promising things because you can’t control your feelings but I can promise you if my feelings for you ever change, I’ll tell you. I won’t betray you, I won’t vanish out of your life without telling you. It’s a thing about respect toward your partner and yourself and I’ve a lot of respect for both of us.”  
“I hate to think of that but on the other hand it’s good to know. I promise you the same. No games, honesty.”  
“See, looks like we both want the same, looks like we fit good together, looks like can work problems out what means no need to cry, no need to worry and no need to keep anything behind the back of the other. You can tell me everything when you’re ready to do so. If you ever feel like you’re not ready to talk and I asked you what’s up, just tell me you need a little bit more time and I’ll give you all the time in the world…after I made sure you’re alright not talking. Sometimes people say they don’t want to talk but in reality they need to talk.”  
“You know I’ll do the same to you.”  
“Fair enough.” 

Working with Greg was always pleasant. Even if they have to stay in the lab and work there, it was never boring with the young CSI on her side. Somehow he makes Sara smile whenever they were together.   
“Knock, knock!” Steve entered the lab. “Good…” He looked at his watch. “…morning.”  
“What are you doing here?” Sara asked surprised. Steve hadn’t work the case she and Greg were working on.   
“Dropping by to give you this. You forgot it last night.” He handed her her purse. “I thought women would never go anywhere without their purse.”  
“Sometimes we do forget. Thanks Steve.”  
“You’re welcome. What do you think of having breakfast or are you in an important case and can’t go home on time?”  
“We’re in the lab, we can go whenever we want.”  
“Perfect. See you later.” He blinked at Sara and smiled at Greg.   
“Later.” Sara called after him and got her attention back to the fibers she was working on.   
“So, you’re a couple.”  
“Huh?” Sara looked up, quite irritated. “Who?”  
“Oh come on Sara, I’m not blind. He brings you your purse, you obviously forgot at his place. You don’t stop by to say hello and forget your purse anywhere.”  
“You think Steve and me? Did you talk to Cath lately?”   
“No, why? Does she know already?”  
“Greg…”  
“It’s alright, Sara. I got it that I’ve no chance, that’s all right, but why him? What does he have that makes him so special? So much better than me?”  
“I think you should join us for breakfast.”  
“I don’t want to disturb you guys.”  
“You come with me, that will open your eyes. So much for now: I don’t have a relationship with Steve. It would be nice if you believe me and let me prove it later while we have breakfast.”  
“He brought you your purse.”  
“If I would forget my purse when I visit you wouldn’t you do the same?”  
“Sure, but…”  
“No but. Keep that in mind until later, Greg. And let’s get back to work and out of my private life.”  
“Okay.” She could feel Greg wasn’t fine with that. He had to wait until the morning, Sara didn’t want to discuss her private life here in the lab. She had no problem to tell Greg what was really going on, he was her friend, it was only the location. 

When they arrived at the diner nobody was there. After ordering a coffee they sat down, facing each other.   
“You thought of your purse?”  
“Yes I did. Greg since when do you not trust me anymore?”  
“I do trust you.”  
“Not when it comes to Steve.”  
“He is…”  
“Morning.” Steve came to their table and sat next to Greg. “Sorry, I had a word with Brass.”  
“You’re not late, we were early, you’re on time.”  
“Yeah. Sofia is here in a second, she was looking for a parking space.”  
“Perfect, I’m starving.”  
“Shall I bring you some cookies the next time as well?” Steve grinned.   
“Talking about that…my lovely colleague Greg believes we’ve got an affair.”  
“Really?”  
“She forgot her purse at your place.”  
“Yes, she did. And your car keys are there too, Honey.”  
“I knew that.” Sara smiled.   
“How am I not suppose to think there’s something between the two of you? Sara, why? He might look good…”  
“Might?” Steve snorted amused.   
“…but you know he’s out every weekend with another woman. He betrays you. Why do you do that to yourself?”  
“I told, I don’t.”  
“Let me ask you something, Greg.” Steve said serious. “If I really had an affair with Sara, don’t you think I’d sit next to her? Instead of sitting next to you?”  
“Yeah…I was wondering why…”  
“To be correct I have to say, I didn’t forget my purse at Steve’s place, I forgot it at Sofia’s place where Steve found it.”  
“True.”  
“Great, a threesome.” It could be funny, Sara thought, but how could she laughed about Greg’s idea when she had almost the same a few weeks ago, only that she thought the threesome was between Steve, Sofia and Cath.   
“That would be illegal.” Steve tried hard not to laugh. Why did the young CSI tried so hard to ignore reality?   
“It’s ethical not right, the law doesn’t care.” Greg said.  
“I’m sure if I had a threesome and that means I have sex with my sister – even if she is a stunning blonde – the law would mind.”  
“Sister?” Greg looked in disbelieve at Steve.  
“Yeah, captain Curtis is our mother, so she is my sister. I’d say Sofia got the look and I got the brain but truth is, I’ve got both.”  
“But because you’re the baby brother you got only the leftovers.” Sofia had heard the last sentence of her brother, slapped the back of his head of that and slipped next to Sara. “Hey.”  
“Yeah, the leftovers of the old sister.”  
“Older. Why are you lying to Greg? Having brain and the look?”  
“He thinks you, Sara and me have a threesome and I tried to explain to him, that would be illegal because you’re my sister.”  
“Greg, I don’t go for guys like Steve. They can’t keep their pants on, you’ve got only trouble with this kind of guy.”  
“He said, Sara forgot her purse at your place, so I figured, he were there too…”  
“Sure he was, he lives there. We share an apartment at the moment. I couldn’t let my baby bro sleep on the street.”  
“If you don’t have a relationship with Steve…” Greg started looking at Sara.  
“…not if, I don’t have one.” The brunette stopped his sentence.   
“Okay, you don’t have a relationship with Steve, what were you doing there? I mean, I saw, you and Sofia get along better, it was about time, this bitching around was annoying and unnecessary but I didn’t think you were that tight.”  
“Bitching around?” Sara knitted her brows.   
“He’s right on that.” Sofia grinned.   
“Maybe a little bit. Let’s say we were bitching around because we thought the wrong things about each other…okay, meanly I was bitching around because I thought the wrong things about Sofia.” Sara admitted. “Steve opened my eyes, showed me I was wrong and we…we understand each other much better now. Can I say it that way?” Sara smirked at Sofia.   
“You can, yes.” Sofia smiled wide.   
“Awww, aren’t they cute?” Steve asked Greg.   
“They? Cute? You mean like cute together?”  
“Let’s get back to one point we had before, the way we’re sitting. I’m not with Sara, so I don’t have to sit next to her. I’m sure you agree on that she’s a great woman, so normally I’d take the opportunity to sit as close as possible to her. I’m sitting here, left the place for me sis, why do you think I did that?”  
“Because they don’t kill each other anymore when they are sitting side by side.”  
“I don’t hope they do so. Think harder.”  
“Honey, you’re right, he’s so sweet.” Sofia took Sara’s hand and smiled.   
“Told you. Can I take him home? We can use a kind of puppy.” Sara’s eyes got lost for a second in Sofias.   
“No way!” Finally Greg did understand.   
“We’ll be nice to you, Greg, you can have your own room.” Sara laughed.   
“You are not…”  
“We are not what?” Sofia asked with a sweet voice.  
“…kind of together?”  
“No, we’re not kind of together.” Sara said.  
“You almost made me believe that…”  
“We are together, not kind of.” Sara grinned.   
“What?” Greg’s jaw almost hit the table. “How? Why?”  
“Why is a good question, she could have had me.” Steve laughed. “I never understood her. What does Sofia have what I don’t have?”  
“Control over her pants?” Greg offered sweet.  
“Come on, I’m sure you saw her with all these guys too.”  
“I did. Knowing Sara, these guys didn’t make it to Sofia’s bedroom, at least not even half of them.”  
“It’s nice to know that you still trust me, Greggo. Why again did you think I’ve got an affair with Steve?”  
“Mister Boombastic.”  
“Hah, that’s me! Mister Lover-Lover. Mhm. They call me Mister Boombastic, so fantastic…”  
“Shut up, baby brother.” Sofia kicked Steve under the table.   
“What does Sofia’s mother say about this? Does the Captain know?”   
“Are you scared of my mother?” Sofia asked amused.   
“You can scare me sometimes when you interrogate a suspect, your mother…only her name make me scared to death.”  
“Reminds me of Sara. She wanted to climb out of the window the first time she and my mother met.” Sofia bit on her lips not to laugh. Sara’s eyes became narrow and she shot an evil look at Sofia.   
“Not funny!”  
“Sorry Love, very funny. I could convince her not to behave like a schoolboy caught in the act by the parents of his girlfriend. When I came back from getting some cake, she and my mother were in a friendly conversation and since that day they go along perfect. Or are you still scared of her?”  
“No. I can’t. She told me to call her ‘mom’.”  
“Fits perfect after my brother calls you sister-in-law. They might be a little bit fast, but at least they opened their arms for you.”  
“I can do that every day if you come into my arms. They’re open for you day and night, Sara.”  
“You go on hitting on my girl and I’ll hit you.” Sofia raised her index finger. “And then, little bro, you won’t need any woman for the next weeks because you’ll be useless to them.”  
“Ouch.”   
“So think before you say something. I know, you don’t always think before you act, but…it will be painful if you don’t think when my girl is around.”  
“Your girl?” Sara snorted. “Am I your property?”  
“If I can finally find a lawyer who’s willing to write me a certification then yes, you’ll be my property.”  
“I think it’s enough when I’m your CSI.”  
“No, I want you in my private life too.”  
“Sis, you’ve got her. Don’t put her in chains, you’ll lose her.”  
“Stay out of this.”  
“He’s right.”  
“Greg?”   
“Uhm.” Greg wished he could vanish when Sofia called his name. “I think I’ll be the Switzerland.”  
“What?”  
“I stay out of this.”  
“Smart boy.” Steve got up. “Come on, we’ll get some breakfast for the ladies and us. Until then they’ll figure out what they want to do with themselves.” Steve grinned. 

Sara had this strange dream she didn’t like. Sofia was there and she was sad, Sara could hear her crying but she couldn’t find her. Somehow her lover had to be near but out of her eyes and it was obvious she needed Sara. Where? Where are you, Sofia? No matter how often she shouted the blonde’s name, there was no answer.   
Suddenly she realized she was dreaming and Sofia’s crying wasn’t a part of her dream, it was real. Sara opened her eyes and heard Sofia crying in her sleep.   
“Sofia, wake up.” Sara got her arms around her lover and shook her carefully. “Sofia?” A little bit harder. “Sofia!”  
“What? No, please…I…Sara? You’re here.”  
“Sure I am here, we went to bed together. Where else should I be?”  
“Oh Sara.” Sofia buried her face in Sara’s hair.   
“What’s the matter, Honey?” Sara could feel all the tear that Sofia were crying. She felt how tensed her lover was, the sadness.   
“I had this nightmare again.”  
“Which nightmare?” And why again? She had never told Sara she had nightmares. She mentioned she sleeps sometimes not that good but she had never talked of nightmares. Especially not of nightmares that were haunting her.   
“That you’re leaving me.”  
“Sofia.” Sara turned on the lights and moved Sofia’s face so that they were facing each other. “I won’t leave you.”  
“I know, but…there’s this fear…”  
“What do I have to do that you believe me? That I won’t leave you? Tell me what I can do and I’ll do it.”  
“I don’t know, I…I’m horrible.”  
“You are not horrible, you’ve got a little trauma and believe me, I can understand that. You know I’ve nightmares too.”  
“That’s different.”  
“Why? We both suffer from something somebody did to us. Your problem isn’t smaller than mine. It’s the same, Sofia.”  
“Why are you so understanding?”  
“Because I’m right. Come here, sweet heart, I wear the huge shirt, come on in.” Sara lifted the blanket a little bit. She had one shirt, a very old shirt, that was big enough for both of them.   
Sofia had to laugh. “Again?”They had tried the shirt together once. It was a funny feeling wearing the same shirt at the same time.  
“Sure.”  
Sofia got out of her shirt and moved into Sara’s. Immediately she felt better, the skin of the brunette on her skin, close together and nothing that could get them separated now.   
“I like your skin on mine.” Sara kissed Sofia.  
“It feels so right. But you know it’s a kind of hard to get under your shirt and don’t take any time to appreciate your body. I could have spent some time kissing the one or the other thing, playing around…”  
“Could you?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Are you having dirty thoughts, detective?”  
“Dirty thoughts? Me? Impossible. I was just thinking…Sofia wanted to move her hand but she was caught with Sara in the sleeves and Sara didn’t move her arms.  
“You are going to sleep, Sofia, there won’t be any games.”  
“Says who?”  
“Say I.”  
Sofia’s eyes became narrow. That was a challenge. She might not be able to move her arms but she was able to move her head. Carefully she kissed Sara’s throat, sucked with her lips the soft skin carefully and drew little line with her tongue.   
“You are playing…unfair…”  
“Me? Never.” She kissed the earlobe, moved her leg between Saras.   
“Honey, you are unfair.”  
“Mhm…” She got one arm out of the sleeve and found Sara’s nipple. It responded to Sofia’s touch immediately.   
“You take advantage of being in my shirt.”  
“No, I don’t.”  
“You use me.”  
“You’re chasing my nightmare away, isn’t that what you wanted?”  
“Cheeky…oh…don’t stop that.”  
“Sofia grinned. She had won. She knew Sara couldn’t resist her if she simply kissed the right spots. 

Love

Sara had barely time to hang her vest on the hook when Sofia’s lips caress her neck. Immediately the breath of the brunette became faster and louder.   
“Honey, what are you doing?”  
“Something I wanted to do the whole morning.” Sofia stopped Sara from turning around. “Don’t you dare to turn.” Sofia’s lips moved gently from the left to the right side of Sara’s neck, up and down while her arms embraced the investigator.   
“Shower or bed?” Sofia whispered when she was behind Sara’s ear.   
“Having you there, feeling your lips, I’d do the same in both places.”  
“Really?”  
“Really.”  
“I don’t want to do move after I’m done with you so bed.” Sofia pushed Sara to her bedroom. With one push the brunette was laying on her own bed. Before she could turn around, Sofia was on top of Sara’s back, kissing her neck again.   
“Do you punish me if I don’t do what you want?”   
Sofia’s lips stopped kissing Sara and she turned the brunette so that they were facing each other.  
“I’d never punish you, I’d never hurt you.”  
“That was a joke, dear.” Sara pulled Sofia in her arms.   
“I just wanted to kiss your neck coz the last time you relaxed and I…”  
“Hey, hey, hey.” Sara kissed Sofia softly. “Sofia, don’t feel sorry for something you haven’t done. I trust you. I know you won’t do anything I don’t want. I like it when you kiss my neck, I like your lips everywhere on me. And if you don’t want me to do anything, only to relax and enjoy your lips, hands and your body, I’ll be more than happy to do that. It’s kind of hard not to touch you when you’re so close and do all these things but I can manage that…I hope. Maybe I’m too weak after a few minutes and I try to touch and kiss you, then you have to tell me off.”  
“If you kiss me I can’t tell you off. I’ll be like butter in the hot summer sun and melt.”  
“Good to know.” Sara kissed Sofia. “Could I get my kisses back? I think you missed a spot on my neck and this particular spot feels unloved and worthless.”   
Sofia smiled and turned Sara. “I can’t let any spot of you or your body feel like that. Let me find this spot.” She started to kiss Sara’s neck again, let her lips run up and down.   
“Honey, can you get up?” Sofia asked.  
“Sure.” Sara got on her knees.   
“Thanks.” Sofia grabbed Sara’s shirt and pulled it over her head. To save some time she also had the bra removed.   
“Perfect, you can lay down again.”   
“My pleasure.” Sara closed her eyes while Sofia’s lips wandered over her back. Slowly the hands of the blonde ran through Sara’s waist, under her body and opened Sara’s pants. Centimeter of centimeter Sofia pulled Sara’s pants and underpants down, kissing the skin she set free this way.   
When she arrived at the ankles she also took care of the socks and only seconds later Sara was completely naked.   
“Beautiful.” Sofia mumbled watching Sara lying in front of her. “Could you stay there without moving?”  
“As long as you don’t give me a reason to move I won’t.” Sara didn’t open her eyes. It was too good to concentrate only on Sofia’s lips.   
Sofia left the bed and was a few seconds later back. Sara shivered. Sofia was naked, she could feel nothing but the soft skin of the blonde who placed herself on top of the brunette, pulling the blanket over them.   
Sofia’s arm got under Sara’s body, embraced her and when Sofia let herself drop from Sara’s back, she made the brunette’s body move so that Sara was spooned.   
“I can’t think of anything better than feeling your skin on my skin.” Sofia said.   
“Do you want to tell me we have to spend every free second naked in bed? I’m with you.”  
“Like that idea.” Sofia started to kiss Sara’s neck again, nibbled on her earlobe while her hands started to move on Sara’s belly, stroke the sides of the investigator and played with the belly button.   
“Do you like me suffering?” Sara asked when Sofia’s hands again only stroke the outer area of her breasts.   
“What are you talking about, Hon?” Sofia giggled.   
“Nothing.” Sara pressed herself closer to Sofia and began to move her ass. It took only a short moment until she could hear Sofia breathing harder.   
“Thought you were only relaxing and enjoying.”  
“I am relaxed, I do enjoy. What about you? Your breath sounds…like you’re not that relaxed anymore.”  
“I’m…fine.” Sofia swallowed and let softly a finger run over Sara’s breast. The moan of the brunette let her smile. That was a way of revenge.   
“Don’t stop.”  
“I don’t stop, my hands are on you, Sara.”  
“Don’t do this to me, please Sofia. Or I have to become active.”  
“You can be active in one minute.”  
“One minute! Not longer!”  
“Alright.” Sofia grinned and both of her hands cupped Sara’s breast, started to play with the nipples. Immediately Sara started to groan and move.  
“You said one minute, Honey. Don’t move.”  
“Bitch.”  
“Don’t put ideas in my head.” Sofia kissed Sara’s back while her fingers teased Sara.   
“Minute’s over.” Sara turned, placed herself on top of Sofia and kissed her lover hard. Both women let their hands run over each other, touching, caressing, teasing.   
“What do you want?” Sofia whispered in Sara’s ear.   
“You.”  
“You’ve got me.”  
“I want your heart.” Sara’s lips met Sofias for a soft kiss. How could she manage to live years next to this woman without realizing how wonderful she was? Sara must have been very blind. 

“I don’t think there’s anything better than waking up next to you.” Sofia smiled and kissed Sara.   
“Falling asleep in your arms?” Sara offered.   
“Same same but different. Shower?”  
“Snuggling?”  
“You win.” Sofia got herself in Sara’s arms. They had another four hours until they had to be back in the department.   
“I always win with you in my arms.”  
“Do you?” Sofia placed her head on Sara’s shoulder to see in the eyes of the brunette. Deep brown. Mystical. Adorable.   
“Can I ask you something?”  
“Everything, Honey.”  
“What gave you the idea to kiss me? I mean, we weren’t close before, there was a big possibility that I’d kick you in the guts, drag you to the department and sue you for sexual harassment.”  
“No.”  
“No?” Sofia made a grimace. “There was no evidence this would happen.”  
“There was.”  
“Where?”  
“In your apartment.”  
“You haven’t been to my apartment before that morning.”  
“Didn’t need to.”  
“Explain, please. In plain English.”  
“Your lovely brother told me. Well, not exactly. When I told him off for leaving with Cath and not with me, he told me you asked him to do so…”  
“I can remember the angry fury in my office, yes.”  
“He told me later that you care for me. That you care for me a lot. If a guy says something like this, if a guy notices something like this, it’s obvious. It told me you’ve got a crush on me.”  
“So you knew. What took you so long to kiss me? Not that I was in a hurry because I hadn’t realize until you kissed me.”  
“I wanted to find out what I really think of you, what and if you mean something to me. You were the arrogant, smug annoying detective all the time, the blonde who uses more guys than Greg hair gel. Suddenly you became the vulnerable prude blonde, who had to be protected by her baby brother. I wanted to find out how I could be so wrong about you and who you really are. That’s why I asked for a breakfast. I never had the intension to kiss you before, while or after breakfast. All I wanted was getting to know you, finding out how I could be that wrong. Whatever happened to me that I kissed you when you came in my apartment, I can’t tell you.”  
“You didn’t stop after a kiss.” Sofia chuckled.   
“No, I didn’t. You responded to my kiss and it felt so good, I guess I stopped thinking.”  
“To me you seemed to be fully aware what you were doing. You seemed to enjoy that I was quite helpless.”  
“Helpless? It was all your decision what I did.” Sara kissed Sofia.   
“What you enjoyed even more.”  
“Yes.”   
“Did you enjoy carrying me?”  
“It’s not what I usually do I couldn’t let you fall down and leave you helpless in the hallway. And I wanted to have you in my bed, to feel your skin, hold you in my arms and kiss you without having to make sure, we’re not falling.”  
“We fell in your bed – for each other.”  
“Mhm. What would your mother say if she finds out you had sex with me before we were dating. I didn’t even give you two dates before I tried to get you in my bed, I got you before you were close to my bed.”  
“She’ll kill you. And if she misses you, Steve will do it.”  
“Your family is violent.”  
“Only if you hurt me.”  
“Did I?”  
“No, you’re safe.”  
“You thought first I’d play you.”  
“Can you blame me? It was so suddenly.”  
“No, I don’t blame you for that. You told me why.”  
“And I try not to panic anymore for no reason.”  
“Means I won’t give you a reason.”  
“Demons of the past…why don’t they stay in the past?”  
“They like to make us suffer. But we’re stronger than them. I won’t let anything from the past take my stunning blonde away.”  
“Stunning blonde?”  
“That’s what most people I know call you.”  
“What do you call me?”  
“Mine.”  
Sofia swallowed, got on her elbows and lost herself in a deep kiss with Sara. She called her mine. Sofia couldn’t imagine anything better than that. Who wanted to be a stunning blonde if you could be Saras? For her, being Saras was everything. 

Truth

„Hello Darling.“ Sofia’s mother embraced her daughter and kissed her.   
“Hi mom, did you sleep well?”  
“Yes I did.”  
“Come in and have a coffee.” Sofia got a call from her mother half an hour ago that the captain would stop by at her daughter’s place before she had to work.   
“Good morning Marie.” Sara came with wet hair out of the bathroom.   
“Good morning Sara, you look gorgeous.”  
“Uhm.” Sara blushed. She wore nothing more than a long sleep shirt. She and Sofia would go to sleep after breakfast, there had been no reason to dress up.   
“Don’t make her embarrassed, mom.” Sofia laughed.   
“I meant it. She looks great, so do you, Sofia.”  
“Thanks. It’s the good influence.” Sofia pulled Sara, who got even redder, in her arms and kissed her.   
“I thought so.” Marie took her cup of coffee and drank. “You’re having the night off.”  
“How do you know?” Sofia was surprised. Why did her mother know when she had to work and when not?   
“That’s why I’m here. I’ve got something for Sara.”   
Sara’s body got rigor. She knew what that meant. Marie had the information she promised Sara to find out. Information about the woman who said she is Sara’s biological mother.   
“And I knew no matter what I find out, it’s better if the two of you get the information when you’ve got a night off. You’ll stay with Sara, Sofia.”   
“Sure.” There was no way anybody could make Sofia leave. She knew Sara needed her today.   
Marie got an envelope out of her purse. “Here you go, Sara.”  
“Thanks.” Sara’s voice was husky.   
“You’re welcome. I’ll leave you alone now.” She looked at her daughter. “Friday evening, seven pm is a family dinner. Tell your brother your dad and me don’t accept any excuses. If he dies before the dinner he better makes sure to be reborn and at the table by seven. Am I clear?”  
“Yes.”  
“And detective, take care of that lady of yours and bring her along.”  
It wasn’t a request, it was an order. “Yes, captain.”   
“But it’s a family di…” Sara started and stopped when she saw the look in Marie’s face.  
“Are you questioning my order, investigator?”  
“No, Ma’am. Captain.” Sara mumbled. Maybe she could be still afraid of Sofia’s mother. Right now she was.   
“Good. Seven pm. Sharp.” Marie turned and as soon as she was faced away from the two woman, she smiled and left the apartment. It was good to know that she still had the drill.   
“Why do I have to go there? It’s a family dinner.”  
“That’s why, Honey, you are family. You should know that by now.” Sofia kissed Sara.   
“She scares me.”  
“That’s what she wanted.”   
“She enjoys that.”  
“Oh yes.”  
“I wonder how many people she scared for this.” Sara lifted the envelope. It wasn’t too heavy, she guessed there was a cd inside and a few papers.   
“Enough to get it done fast and discrete. Do you want to have a look at it?”  
“Will you be with me?”  
“If you want me...” Sofia couldn’t finish the sentence because Sara’s lips stopped her.   
“I can’t do it without you.”  
“Okay. Take your coffee we go to bed, I’ll take you in my arms and we’ll have a look.”  
“Take your laptop, your mom put a cd in. We might need to read some files.”  
“It’s next to the bed.”   
They went to bed, Sara sat between Sofia’s legs, let the blonde hug her from behind. This way Sara was completely surrounded by Sofia and felt as safe as possible.   
“She didn’t lie.” Sara mumbled when she opened the envelope.  
“What?”  
“This woman, she didn’t lie. If she wasn’t my mother, your mother would have never made this cd.” She got the cd out and looked at it. Nothing was written on it. “If the DNA test was negative, all she had to do was write a note that I was right and she isn’t my mom. It was positive, so Marie found out all these things on the cd about that woman. Sofia, she told us the truth.”  
“Or she is a liar and my mom found all her lies out and got the evidence on cd for you so that you can sue her.”  
“Your mother isn’t in this kind of bullshit.”  
“You’re right.” Sofia sighed. Her mother was too straight forward to do something like this.   
Sara opened a sheet of paper. DNA. The DNA result of the woman who was probably Sara’s mother. Sara knew how her DNA test looks like and she could tell without opening the other sheet of paper that she had seven oligos in common with this woman. Because Sofia couldn’t know that Sara opened the other sheet of paper.   
“She is my biological mother.” Tears were coming out of Sara’s eyes. Sofia hugged her, pulled her as close as possible in her arms and kissed the tears away. She wanted to tell Sara it’s all right, that there was no need to cry but she couldn’t. Sara had just found out she had a mother. And the mother, she thought her whole life of was her mother, wasn’t.   
“I’ve got a mother…” Sara grabbed Sofia’s arm and hold on while she felt like fainting.   
“Sara? Breathe!” Sofia shook her lover slightly.   
“She…I…” Sara jumped up and ran out of the room. Sofia fought the urge to follow her. She had to give Sara some space, she had to wait until the brunette was back. It took Sara a few minutes to come back. She was pale and shaky.   
Sofia lifted the blanket and Sara got straight in her lovers arms, trembling. Sofia embraced her, kissed Sara’s hair and stroked her back. That was the only way she could think of the give Sara some comfort.   
“She…she gave me away…left me with…these people…let child care sent me to more foster homes…she never cared…why did she come back? Does she hate me so much that she has to destroy my life again? After I almost had managed to fight the demons of the past down. What does she want? Money? Is she a junkie who needs money and remembered the daughter she once had?”  
“I’ve no idea who she is but I know my mother. She checked on her, if this woman is a junkies, my mom would had never gave your these DNA tests. Not the right ones. She had given you somebody else’s test so that you think, she isn’t your mother. She’d lie if it’s better for you. She didn’t, it can’t be too bad.”  
“It is already bad.”   
“You know what I mean, Sara.” Sofia kissed Sara’s cheek.   
“Picket fences, dog, children?”  
“I don’t know.”  
“I guess the only way to find out is looking what your mother found out. Stay with me?”  
“Even if you’d tell me to go away, I’d stay. I don’t leave you alone. Not now, not tonight, not tomorrow. You’ll stay here or I’ll be with you at your place. I’ve got the order of the captain to take care of you, to bring you to this dinner, until Saturday morning you won’t have a private life, I’ll be with you. I’m even thinking of asking to get cases with you.” They had never asked to get cases together, they didn’t want their private life interfere with their jobs. The way it looked at the moment, the private life could have a too big influence of the job.   
“I’ll be fine. It’s either you, Steve or Brass and all three of you take care of me. Jim treats me like a daughter.”  
“Yeah, I was wondering if I have to ask him if I can go out with you.” Sofia grinned.   
“He likes you, he’ll say yes. No need to ask.”  
“You should be old enough to make your own decisions.”  
“That too.” Sara sighed. “Maybe I’ve got a dad too. Siblings?”   
“A hot sister who looks like you? Delicious thought.”  
“You’re suppose to make me feel better not making me jealous.”  
“Sorry Sweety.” Sofia kissed Sara.   
“I might forgive you if I can use your laptop.”  
“Help yourself I turned it on while you were away.”  
“Thanks.” Sara took the laptop and put the cd inside. She was right, Marie had put some folder on it. A few seconds later Sara could see photos of her mother – her real mother. It seemed like they were taken in front of her house.   
“How did your mother get them?”  
“Wild guess? She found out where this woman lives and got in contact with somebody. Where does she leave? And what’s her name? Did she tell you her real name?”   
“Karen McAllister.” That was something Sara knew. She opened a word document that was name as ‘basic dates’ and name, address, birthday and all the other basic information about Karen McAllister appeared on the screen.   
“West Hollywood.”  
“Steve.”  
“I beg your pardon?”  
“Steve worked in that area, he knows enough people. And she knows some of his old colleagues. I bet she contact one and this one took some time to find out information about Karen McAllister and took photos.” Sofia furrowed her brows. “I’m not quite sure if they didn’t make a mistake here.” She pointed on the birthday of the woman.   
“I wondered the same. I mean, she does look young, but this young? That would mean…”  
“She got you when she was thirteen. A child herself.”  
“Yeah.” Sara swallowed. Too many bad ideas came up in her mind.   
“Don’t go there.” Sofia kissed Sara and hold her close.   
“What?”  
“Don’t go there we you are about to go. Don’t think of something like this.” She knew where Sara’s thoughts were. Rape. Abuse.   
“Would fit. And it would be so ironical. I wonder why you want me.”  
“Why should I not want you?”  
“Well, it looks like my real mother was a) somebody who enjoyed sex too early and got rid off her baby to have a great teenager time or b) was raped and gave the outcome away to forget or c) she was such a bad mother that I was taken away. My father was very likely the same. The people who adopted me weren’t much better. He beat the crap out of me, she didn’t care, killed him on front of my eyes, I was sent to foster parents who did the same in a psychological way. To come to a conclusion: I’m a fucked up nutcase nobody ever wanted.”  
Sofia took Sara’s head in her hands, turned it so that their eyes met.   
“Listen carefully, Sara Sidle. You are a lot of things, but you are not a fucked up nutcase and I do want you. More than anything else. There’s nothing in the entire world I would chose over you. Nothing. And if you don’t see how wonderful you are, I’ll show you every day what a special and loveable person you are. If I have to I’ll bring you roses every day, gonna feed you with chocolate, send flowers to your desk and light up candles in every room. Whatever it takes I’ll do to make it clear to you how wonderful you are. Got that?”  
Sara pulled her arms around Sofia and hugged her, burying her face in the long blond hair.   
“I’m the luckiest person in the world.”  
“Are you?”  
“Yes. You like me and I know one smart thing I did in connection with you.”  
“Only one? I can remember a few more.” Sofia smiled.   
“One important thing.”  
“Which one?”  
“I fell in love with you and I love you.” Sara moved her head in front of Sofias and kissed her long and soft. She wanted to say this for a long time but it seemed never right and now it was perfect. Like her girlfriend.   
“I love you too, Sara.” How did Sofia’s heart jump when sheheard these words from her lover. She had never heard anything as wonderful as these words.   
“Please don’t say things like you’re a fucked up nutcase. It’s a lie.”  
“I’m scared.”  
“What of?”  
“What if I’m like all these people? I mean, if I was taken away because Karen was a bad mother, it’s in my DNA. Then I saw only abuse and violence. What if I’ll be the same? If I’ll be like them. I don’t want to hurt you. I’m so scared I might hurt you one day…”  
“Sara, hey, look at me.” Sofia got Sara’s eyes in front of her again. “You never hurt me. Never. You never came close to it. I’ve never met somebody who is as sensitive and careful as you are. Even the first time when you kissed me, you didn’t do anything I didn’t want. You let me made the decision what to do, you gave the control to me. I never felt like you’d force something on me. I don’t think you’re capable of hurting me.”  
“What if I do it by accident?”  
“That can happen anybody. Don’t worry about it. I can promise you since we’re together you haven’t hurt me.”  
“I did hurt you before?”  
“Well, be bitchy wasn’t exactly what was good for me. You know how snappy you were and imagine this poor detective, having a crush on you, not really knowing that, wondering why it goes so close when you snap at her…yeah, you hurt me. Since you’ve kissed me, you never did that again.”  
“I’m sorry for being bitchy and even more sorry for hurting you.”  
“It’s okay, Honey. You couldn’t know, hell I didn’t know or I didn’t want to know until you kissed me. I mean, I was jealous when Steve was flirting with you while we were working, when he danced with you and I knew what he was about to do and that you were more than happy to give him what he wanted, I had to stop him. It hurt so much seeing him having what I wanted. If he wasn’t the womanizer he is, if he would be a man who wants a relationship, there had been no way that I asked him to stop but knowing him, more hoping than knowing that you not that kind of woman he’s after, I asked him to leave you alone. He could see I was serious, damn, I’m sure he knew about my feelings before I did. He backed off for me, gave me some time to think about you…well I thought I had some time but then you told me off for messing up your life. I’ve never seen you so angry before…”  
“I hate it when people try to force their ideas on me. I hate it even more when they’re right and I don’t want them to be right.” Sara smiled and kissed Sofia, snuggling into her arms.   
“I found that out.”  
“You ignored me and you were bitchy.”  
“I thought, you want Steve, I could forget you so there was no reason to be nice to you. You weren’t nice to me and I couldn’t find a reason why you were so bitchy. So I made the decision to give you exactly what you gave me…and you invited me to breakfast.”  
“Yes. Knowing that you care for me – a lot – like Steve said, put you in a new light. Knowing you’re not the female version of your brother made you quite sympatric. The kiss…like I told you before, I never planed that. That was…something came over me and I kissed you.”  
“Whatever this something was, I’m happy it came over you. I know I was too coward to kiss you. Never ever. Kissing you? I was happy when you were friendly without me doing something you probably hated. To kiss you was something like planed suicide. Worse than walking blindfolded in a gunfire of two street gangs.”  
“You make me not feel better, Sofia.”  
“Why? You can feel fantastic because you don’t do this anymore. You make me happy, you make me feel safe, you are there when I need you.”  
“I think you’re the one who’s there for me. I dumb all the shit on you. This is another piece of it.” Sara lifted the empty envelope.   
“It’s a part of your life it can’t be shit. I’ll get my payback on Friday when you have to join me to the family dinner.”  
“I haven’t met your father yet but I really like your mother – when she doesn’t scare me.”  
“She knows that she scares people easy and she enjoys it. Don’t give her the satisfaction to be scared. She’d never do anything to you, she likes you too much.”  
“Lets hope she sees that the same way.” Sara grinned and kissed Sofia’s nose tip. She’d be fine with the dinner even when family dinner weren’t her favorite. Usually she tried to avoid them whenever it was possible. She was quite successful with that in the past, this time she knew, the captain would hunt her down. It was easier to go. 

“Hi Sis! For you.” Steve placed a huge box in Sofia’s arms, took the chance and got Sara in his arms. “Hey sis-in-law, did you miss me?”  
“I saw you the whole night.”  
“Shhh, don’t say that when Sofia is around. Do you want us to get busted?” Steve grinned.   
“Get your hands off my girlfriend or you’ll have a serious problem.” Sofia narrowed her eyes and looked at Steve. “Now!”  
“Don’t you want to open your present?”  
“Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. Girlfriend. Now!”  
“Looks like I couldn’t get her attention off you. Pity.” Steve sighed and released Sara.   
“I like it when she’s jealous, very cute.” Sara walked to Sofia, kissed her and put her arm around her girlfriend’s waist. “I didn’t know it’s your birthday today.”  
“Neither did I. What is it, Steve? A kind of practical joke?”  
“No, I don’t do that anymore. Too painful.”  
Sofia grinned. Steve had once played a practical joke to her and she had placed her fist in his face. The black eye stayed for a whole week.   
“At least you learnt your lesson. “She opened the box. A black helmet, a black leather jacket and black leather pants were inside.   
“Explanation, please.”  
“Well, you remember our conversation last week? That it’s alright for you if I stay a little bit longer.”  
“It is. I like sharing the apartment with you, no need to bribe me with clothes. Stay as long as you want.”  
“See, this sentence helped me to make a decision. I’ll stay with you and with the money I save this way, I bought a little something.”  
“You bought a biker outfit for your sister?” Sara asked amused.   
“Black’s her color.”  
“True.”  
“And I want her to be safe when she’s riding my bike.”  
“What?” Sofia’s mouth popped open.   
“I bought a bike today, Harley.” Steve opened his mobile to show Sofia a picture. A black Harley Davidson and Steve was sitting on it.   
“You bought a Harley?”  
“Yeah. Remember when we were young? We wanted to ride the old Route 66, well our famous street disappears each year more and more so it’s time to do so. You’ve got the outfit, you’ve got the look, you’ve got the girl, all you need is a week off and you can take off. My bike is yours whenever you want it.”  
“You’re crazy!”  
“Yes.”  
“I love you.” Sofia jumped in Steve’s arms. “A Harley. Wow. Mom will kill you. Riding a Harley on the Route 66 to Chicago. A dream will come true.”  
“I thought, it’s time we make some dreams come true. Another thing on the bucket list. There’s no good reason to wait until we’re old to do all the things we want to do. We should enjoy life now.”  
“Believe me, with this baby I will. Sara, can you imagine yourself on the Harley with me?”  
“If I can be the driver every now and then.” Sara smirked.  
“You’ve got a license?”  
“Sure. I had a bike when I lived in San Francisco.”  
“If she wouldn’t be yours, I’d take her and never give away.” Steve sighed.   
“Well, she’s mine and I won’t give her away. Find your own girlfriend, bro.”  
“Nobody will be as special as Sara.”  
“I know that’s why’s mine.” Sofia put the jacket on.   
“Sexy.” Sara cocked her head.   
“Absolute.” Steve agreed.   
“I feel like having a little joyride right now.”  
“Sara can have my helmet and jacket, if you’re not going straight to Chicago, it should be alright.”  
“Boulder City and back?” Sofia looked at Sara.   
“I’ll be your bike babe.”  
“You get one way, I’ll get the other.”  
“I love this woman.” Sara pulled Sofia in her arms and kissed her.   
“And who loves me?” Steve asked.  
“We both do.” Sofia laughed and placed a kiss on Steve’s right cheek while Sara kissed him in the left. 

“Hey, I’ve got an appointment with Miss Pole for noon tomorrow. Does this time suit you?” Sofia came into the room where Sara was sitting. They had a case together and tried the whole time to get an appointment with Miss Pole, who seemed to be an important witness.   
“Yeah, fits perfect.”  
“Good. Otherwise I had asked Warrick.”  
“No, I’ll be with you. If we’re lucky we can close this case until tomorrow night.”  
“I hope so.” Sofia took a good look at Sara. “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Sara.” Sofia closed the door and walked to Sara. The investigator backed up, got some distance between them.   
“Not. Sofia. Please.”  
“Sara.” Sofia’s eyes became sad.   
“I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s just…”  
“What?” Sofia had to swallow. Why was Sara rejecting? Why was she excluding Sofia? Did she do anything wrong?   
“Oh shit.” Sara got up and took Sofia in her arms. To hell with no private feelings in the lab, she couldn’t see her girlfriend crying or being close to tears. No matter if anybody would see them. If they had a problem with Sara and Sofia together, it was their problem not Saras or Sofias.   
“Hey baby, it’s alright. I was only thinking about my mother…you know when we close this case we’ve got a couple of days off and I was thinking…going to L.A. and seeing her.”  
“I won’t stop you.”  
“Sofia.” Sara lifted Sofia’s face to look her in the eyes. “I hoped you’d come with me.”  
“You want me there?”  
“There’s no place in the universe where I don’t want you with me. I love you, I need you.”  
Sofia’s lips kissed Sara’s neck. “I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t be.”  
“I didn’t want to be this…whinny anymore and here I am, almost crying and violating our agreement. Twice. Stop being a pussy. No private life in the lab.”  
“I love you because you are like this.”   
“And I’m more than happy to come with you.”  
“Sounds like we’ve got a date.” Sara kissed Sofia.   
“Yeah. Los Angeles. We’ll have some nice days there, wanna go to Disney Land with me?”  
“Do I get some ice cream?”  
“If you’re a nice girl, yes.” Sara laughed. “Better?”   
“Yes.” Sofia got out of Sara’s arms. “I’ll go back to my office and try to behave like a detective and not a baby girl.”  
“Both are cute and sexy.” Sara smiled.   
“I’ll see you later.” Sofia formed her lips to a kiss and left the lab.   
Sara got her attention back to the trace she was working on. After only a few seconds she could feel somebody around. Grissom.  
“Hey.”   
“Do you want to tell me something, Sara?”   
Did she want? No. Should she tell him something? Maybe. Now? Probably.  
“It won’t get into my way when I’m working.”  
“I’m not saying that.”  
“Is it a problem?”  
“No.” He smiled lightly. “I don’t think so. She’s good for you.”  
“How do you mean that?”  
“I noticed the last weeks you’re more relaxed, you’re happier. I thought there must be a special reason, I saw the reason now. I worried about you after this woman showed up and said, she’s your mother. But Sofia seemed to catch you quite good. I can remember that she took off to look for you after you ran away from here, she was really upset and worried about you. That’s why I told her what happened. You were always a great CSI, Sara, you know how high I think of you but I think with her by your side, having some private steadiness you’ll be even better.”  
“Thanks.” Sara was relieved that Grissom had no problem with her and Sofia.   
“If she can make you lose your temper I can recommend you as a supervisor. Finally.”  
“What?” Her jaw almost hit the ground. Supervisor? She?   
“You’ve got the knowledge, all you need is some patience and politics. You can’t jump in every face you don’t like.”  
“Most of the times it’s Ecklie’s face.” Sara grinned.  
“He’d be probably still your boss.”  
“I don’t want to be a supervisor, that’s your job. Your perfect as a supervisor.”  
“One day I’ll be gone and then the lab needs a new one. I’d really like to recommend you.”  
“I don’t want to think of working without you. You were…you were the reason why I came to Vegas, you know that. If you leave, my reason is gone.”  
“There’s a reason to stay for you.” He smiled. “Don’t worry too much, I have no plans to leave. Just want you to be prepared. Supervisor Sidle.”  
“Sounds awful.”  
“Sounds beautiful.”   
“Don’t be like this.” Sara laughed.   
“Okay, I’ll be boss again. How far are you with the case?”  
“We’ll have an appointment with Miss Pole for noon. Somehow Sofia managed to get her. If we’re lucky Miss Pole can help us to close this case within the next 36 hours. We’ve got evidence, we need a statement.”  
“I talked to Warrick, he said, you can try to wrap the case without a statement but it will be difficult, especially when you go to trial with a jury.”  
“That’s why we want this woman to talk to us.”  
“You get her talking and I get you four days off.”  
“Usually I’d take that as a threat. This time it fits perfect in my plans.”  
“Wanna go somewhere?”   
Sara nodded.  
“That means, she was telling the truth?” Grissom knew where Sara wanted to go. She had asked him for the card of Karen McAllister three weeks ago. He had no idea what she did with it, but he was sure whatever Sara did, she had all her answers by now.   
“Yes.”  
“You’re alright?”  
“It was a shock, still is somehow but yes, somebody caught me.”  
“I hope that somebody comes with you.”  
“She will.”  
“Good. If Brass doesn’t want to give her four days off I can talk to him. I think it’s the best if she goes with you. I don’t want you to go there alone.”  
“You know I’m an adult, Gil?”  
“I do know that, Sara. I do know you, that’s why I like her to be with you.”  
Sara made a grimace and rolled her eyes knowing Gil was right.   
“Don’t make a grimace, your face might get stuck that way.”  
“That, Gil Grissom, is the biggest bullshit you’ve ever said. That so ‘parents try to scare a child’ like.” She chuckled.   
“Not working?”  
“Not at all.”  
“I tried. See you later.”  
“Yeah, later.”

The whole truth

“Shit.” Sara closed the door she was just about to open, leaned in front of it, closed her eyes and sighed. Sofia’s hands got around the investigator, pulled her away from the door, into the welcoming arms of the detective.   
“It’s alright.” They had their four days off and took off to L.A. right after work. It was around noon when they arrived in their motel in Silver Lake. Being awake for almost 24 hours the first thing the women did was having a sleep of six hours. After they grabbed a little snack it was seven in the evening and they were ready to go. Where, that was up to Sara.   
“We don’t have to go there.” Sofia whispered, kissed Sara’s hair. “She doesn’t know we’re here.”  
“Thanks God for that.” Sara had thought about to call Karen McAllister and tell her, she was in Los Angeles. But then she had to make an appointment with the woman. Sara wanted to be free, she wanted to make her own decision if and when she wanted to see that woman. And the surprise would be on her side. There was no way Karen could be prepared to see Sara. Just like she had appeared in Sara’s life.   
“We can go there tomorrow if you want.”  
“I can’t delay it, that’s coward.”  
“We’ve got four days, give yourself some credit and time to get prepared.”  
“I had all this time. If I stay away tonight, I’ll do the same tomorrow and you won’t force me to go there.”  
“I’ll never force you to do anything.”  
“See.” Sara kissed Sofia. “Means, I’ve to go now.”  
“I’ll be with you.”  
“Otherwise I couldn’t do it.” Sara took Sofia’s hand and hold it while she opened the door. Sofia was there, she was next to her, if Sara needed some backup, her lover was by her side. And if Sara changed her mind only yards away from the front door of Karen McAllister, she didn’t have to explain herself to Sofia. It was good to know all this.   
“Do you want to drive?” Sara asked.   
“Sure.” Sofia took the keys. They were here with Steve’s bike. Until they had a longer vacation the trip to Los Angeles was their Route 66 trip. They hit parts of the old famous highway and would drive down to Santa Monica Pier where the Route 66 started or ended.   
“Steve was right, you are extremely sexy all in leather.” Sofia grinned when Sara closed her jacket.   
“Yesterday you told me I’m extremely sexy when I wear nothing. Make up your mind.” Sara smiled.   
“Okay. You’re always extremely sexy, no matter what you wear or if you wear nothing.”  
“I can say the same about you, detective. All in black leather, skin tight. I’ve to make sure nobody tries to steal you while we’re on the bike.”  
“They try and they’ll regret.” Sofia put her shades on.   
“My cool chick.”   
“Chick?”   
“Bunny?”  
“Get your ass on the bike and shut up, doll.”   
“I love it when you get rough.” Sara enlaced Sofia’s body and the blonde started the bike. She let the bike drive on only one wheel for a yard and smiled when Sara pinched her. Sofia loved to play around with the bike, a thing Sara didn’t like. At least not when Sofia did it. Sara herself wasn’t better, she’d take the bike off road if it was hers.   
Sofia stopped a block away from their destination and turned off the engine.   
“You’re crazy.” Sara said.  
“Why?” The innocence in Sofia’s face was a fake.   
“I counted a dozen traffic violations in this ten minutes. Do you want to lose your license?”  
“There was no police.”  
“Says the detective. Shame on you. Do you want to come back to CSI? Working in the lab until you get your license back?”  
“Would you join me in the lab?” Sofia smirked.  
“No.”  
“Would you bring me fibers?”  
“Yes.”  
“See, by working in the lab I’d see you at least once a night. More than now when we’re on different cases.”  
“I’ll drive back.” Sara took the keys   
“We’ll see about that.” Sofia started walking towards the house Karen McAllister was living in.   
When they arrived at the driveway Sara stopped.   
“We don’t have to go here.” Sofia said quietly. She hated to see how Sara suffered. Caught between the wish to run away, to forget all this, forget her past and the wish to find out who her real mother really was, why she gave her away.   
“I have to. I need to know.” Sara moved her hand to Sofias and the blonde took the ice-cold hand of the brunette.   
“I’ll be right behind you. Whenever you feel like turning around, we can do that. When you have rung the bell and don’t want to be here anymore, we’ll run away. Children do that, we can do it too.”  
“We’re not children anymore. Beside, I never did that.”  
“I did. Drove my neighbors crazy.”  
“Little nightmare.”  
“That’s what my mother used to say, yes. And that she’ll probably lock me up before I’m sixteen.”  
“Did she?” Sara was slightly amused of this thought. The detective in custody.   
“No.”  
“Because you didn’t do anything or she didn’t catch you?”   
“That, my dear, I’ll tell you another day.” Sofia chuckled.   
“Sounds like an interesting story.” Sara pressed Sofia’s hand shortly and let go. “Time to face the truth”   
Sofia stayed a step behind Sara, to be out of her way but close enough to let the investigator feel, she wasn’t alone.   
Sara stopped in front of the door. When she rang the bell now there was no way back. She had to face the truth, a truth she maybe won’t like.   
“I love you.” Sofia whispered. “And I’m here.”  
“Love you too.” Sara let herself lean for a second on Sofia, feeling her heat, smelling her perfume, then she took the last step in front of the door and rang the bell. Run now or stay it through. For a second her legs wanted to run, her head wanted it too but she had herself under control. Running wasn’t a solution. Running didn’t help. It wouldn’t let her sleep better and she slept badly the last days. Without Sofia she had been awake the whole time.   
It was Karen who opened the door. When she saw Sara she blinked in disbelieve.  
“Sara!” Her eyes caught Sofia. “Detective.” Her eyes went back to Sara. “Am I under arrest?”  
“We’re not on duty.” Sofia said. No matter that fact if this woman hurt Sara, Sofia would restrain her.   
“I want to talk to you.” Sara thought her voice was husky. She hoped she’d get the control over it back in the next seconds.   
“Come in.” Karen stepped aside to let Sara and Sofia in. The hallway was small, a few shoes were lying around, an umbrella stood in a bucket, keys on a sideboard, jackets on some hooks on the wall.   
“Honey, we’ve got visitors.” Karen called out.   
Sara swallowed. Was that her father Karen was talking to? Would she meet her father tonight too? She had thought about that. Having a ‘new’ mother meant, she had to get a ‘new’ father too. And siblings? Did she have siblings? Were they here? Lived close by?   
Karen showed them into the living room. A big couch, two armchairs and a table were placed in front of a fireplace, a big dining table with six chairs were on the other side of the middle size room with big windows.   
A tall blond man came in the room.   
“I didn’t know we’re getting…” He stopped when he saw Sara. “Christ.”  
“Jake, that are Sara and…detective…?”  
“Sofia.” Sofia offered. No need for the detective, she wasn’t here as a detective.   
“And Sofia from Las Vegas. That’s my husband Jake.”  
“Sara.” Jake stared at Sara. No, she didn’t look like him and she didn’t look like Karen, who was also more blond than brunette. Just her eyes were the same brown as Saras. They were the same build, but neither Karen nor Jake had the distinctive gap between the teeth like Sara had.   
“Hello.” Sara felt very uncomfortable.   
“I’m sorry.” Jake said. “It’s just…you look like Karen’s mother.”  
“I know.” Karen said quietly. “Why don’t you sit down?” She offered the women.   
Because she wanted to have Sofia as close as possible and that was impossible in an armchair Sara walked to the couch. Sofia followed her and placed herself close enough to Sara that their legs had some contact. She didn’t need a thankful look from Sara to know that the brunette was thankful for Sofia’s closeness.   
“I’ll get something to drink.” Jake mumbled. “What do you ladies want?”  
“Just water.” Sofia said.   
“Sure? I can offer some beer or wine or whatever…”  
“No, thanks, we’ve to drive.”   
“Okay.”   
Karen sat down in one of the armchairs.   
“I’m happy that you obviously changed your mind, Sara. Even if I started not to believe that you ever will.”  
“I had some time to think.”  
“Probably it was wrong of me to show up out of the nowhere. I had thought about to write you a letter but I thought that’s not personal. I didn’t want you to find out about me with a letter. I wanted to talk to you, see you.”   
Jake came back and placed two little bottles of water in front of Sara and Sofia. He got them a glass with ice and a slice of lemon, handed Karen a can of coke and took one himself before he sat on the arm of the armchair. Looked like he didn’t want Karen to be alone.   
Two protectors, Sofia thought. We have to protect Sara and Karen who were supposed to talk while we give them some comfort.   
“I was surprised.”  
“I guess. And I guess you checked me. Being a CSI you can do the DNA stuff and having a detective on your side, you’ve got somebody to take care of the other things.”  
“I didn’t do anything.” Sofia said.   
“I had some help, yes.” Sara acknowledged. “And yes, there was a DNA test.”  
“Can’t blame you for that.” Karen smiled.   
“You are my…biological mother.” Sara’s eyes went to Jake.  
“No, he isn’t your father.” Karen said before the brunette could ask.   
“Is he alive?”   
“I’ve no idea.” Jake took Karen’s hand. It seemed like not only Sara had a hard time talking about her past, she had inherited that from her mother.   
“Maybe it’s about time to tell you…why…how…what happened.”   
“Karen.” Jake put his arm around her. “Take your time.”  
“I had enough time, Jake. It’s time to tell Sara.” She hold his hand. “I can’t tell you if your biological father is still alive, where he is or what his name is. I’m sure you’re aware how old I am?”  
“Yes.” Sara nodded and approached closer to Sofia, who simply took Sara’s hand.   
“I was thirteen when I got pregnant. Thirteen and a few weeks. Before I turned fourteen I gave birth to you. It wasn’t something I had planed. I was raped one night when I walked home. I was ashamed, didn’t tell it my parents. I thought if I don’t talk about it, if I forget everything than it will be like nothing ever happened. A few weeks later I had to face the fact I didn’t have my period anymore. It wasn’t like I had forgotten what happened to me. I had nightmare, my marks in school went straight down and I was hiding the whole time in my room, crying. Eventually my parents found out what happened.   
The thing with your grandparents…my father is a priest, it was another time, having a thirteen year old daughter pregnant was a scandal. Neither he or my mother wanted to hear how I got pregnant, all they cared of was how to get my pregnancy out of their way. They sent me to a friend of my father in Sacramento. I stayed there the last months and gave birth to you. Being thirteen there was no way that I could make any decision what would happen to you. Childcare was there right after your birth and my parents told them to take you and give you to somebody else.   
I saw you for a few moments, could hold you for a minute and then you were gone. I stayed another week in hospital and was sent back home, to go back to school. Officially I had stayed a few months with my grandparents because they needed some help. I wasn’t allowed to talk to anybody about what happened and nobody asked.   
I finished high school, went to college, started to work in a retail shop. A few years later I met Jake there and when we started to think about children, I thought, how can I be a good mother after I left my daughter. I tried to find you, but childcare told me there was no way they’d give me any address and I should stay out of your life. You were at a loving and caring family and if I appear I’d destroy your life.   
I took this advice but after I became a mother I couldn’t stop thinking of you. I called childcare, I don’t know how often. One day I got somebody who felt sorry for me and had a look for you. But all he could tell me was that you weren’t with the couple anymore, they had sent you to. Something happened there and you were in a foster home. I had lost you before I could find you. He said I should wait until you’re 21.   
Not believing anything would change when you’re 21 I started to save some money for a PI. It was the only way I could think of to find you. Four year later I had some money but the man wasn’t able to find you. The money was gone, you weren’t anywhere. I was close to give up but then I started to save some money again. Jake and me, we tried to put as much away as possible without letting the family suffer. Another five years later we had a second try, again nothing.   
Ready to give up, I tried to forget about you. It was Jake’s father who gave us some money and with some money we had put aside we hired a third PI. Three times lucky or we were really ready to give up. It took the man a few months but he got a trace of you and after almost a year he could give me an address of you. In Vegas. With this information I wanted to go there right away but then I got scared. What if you didn’t want to know about me? If you were fine and I’d destroy your life? Was it right to go there and tell you who I am? Was it the right think to do? Wouldn’t it be better to let you live your life? According to the file of the PI you never knew that you were adopted, you couldn’t miss me because you never knew I exist. I wasn’t sure what to do anymore. But then I thought, you’ve got a right to know the truth. So I drove to Vegas, went to the crime lap and well, you know the rest.”   
Karen stopped. Jake had his arm around her, holding her and Sara could feel how her hand almost crushed Sofias, but the detective didn’t say anything.   
Sofia was close to take Sara in her arms. She knew what her girlfriend was thinking. She was a child of a rape. Violence. She had a violence gene and she grew up with violence, she was supposed to be violence too. Sara’s biggest fear to become like her parents. Or like Sofia should say now, like her adoptive parents and her biological father.   
“I’m sorry.” Sara whispered.  
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Sara. We’re both victims, no need for you to feel sorry. I’m sorry that I couldn’t find you sooner. I should have tried to find you as soon as I was 21. Maybe there would have been a way to get you back, maybe…”  
“Karen, don’t.” Jake stopped her. He took her in his arms and kissed her. “Don’t go there, it doesn’t help anybody if you do that. You can’t change it, you had never a chance to change anything. You were a child.”  
“I know.”  
“Did your parents never want to know what happened to the ba…to Sara?” Sofia couldn’t call Sara ‘the baby’, she knew her, she loved her, she was not only ‘the baby’, she was Sara, her everything.   
“No. They wanted everything like it was supposed to be. I tried to talk about that with them a few times when I was older, it always ended in a fight. We…I…we don’t have much contact with my parents. They live in Denver now. But Jake is right, you look like my mother, Sara.” Karen got up, opened a cabinet and got a photo album out. She came back, browsed a few pages and held the album to Sara.   
The brunette had to swallow when she saw the picture. There was a woman and she really looked like Sara with a baby on her arm.   
“My mother when she was in her mid-thirties with me. I was a year or so. The last child. The trouble maker as she always said.”  
“She…we look a little bit alike. Sofia?”  
“You do look a lot alike, Sara.”  
“Yeah.”   
“You don’t have children, Sara?” Jake asked.   
“No. I never considered myself as a family person. I had my work and that was my life.”  
“That obviously changed.” Karen smiled at Sofia.  
“Kind of.” Sara stroke with her finger over Sofia’s hand. “We both work a lot but yeah, Sofia makes me to have a private life. I’m not allowed to collected so much overtime anymore. And if she’s working her brother usually annoys me and forces me to do something with him. Being annoying must be in their family.”  
“It is.” Sofia grinned. “And so is liking you. Steve, that’s my brother, and me we don’t think Sara should be home alone when one of us has the night off. She spent enough time alone, that’s over, no matter if she likes it or not.”  
“Most times I do.”  
“So you’ve got your own kind of family.” Karen said.   
Sara thought about that for a few seconds. “Yes. I’ve got Sofia, the most important person in my life, my love. And her brother, who’s like a brother to me. And her family…her mother has kind of adopted me, I think.”  
“She has. She loves Sara.”   
“It’s good to know that you found somebody. It’s not good to be alone.”  
“You said you’ve got children…more than…me.” Sara stopped.   
“Yes, we do. You’ve got a sister, Shelley, who is 25 and lives a few blocks away with her family. She’s pregnant right now. And there’s your little brother, Anthony, 21, he goes to UCLA and is…well, he’s a boy. Fast bikes, skydiving, he loves everything that’s fast and dangerous. One day I’ll die of a heart attack because of this boy.”  
Sara had to smile. That sounded a little bit like herself when she was young. Fast cars, fast bikes, everything that had ‘DANGER’ written over it, she had to do.   
“Means, you’ve got to a half brother and a half sister and will be an aunt in a few months.”  
“Wow.” So much family all out of the blue.   
“If you want we can invite them the next time you’re around. I’m sure they want to meet you. I told them about you a few years ago and of course, they always knew something was wrong when I was down because the PI couldn’t find you. That’s why I told them the last time.”  
“We’re here for four days.” Sara said and surprised Sofia with this confession. She hadn’t thought Sara was ready to meet more of her family.   
“If you want I’ll call them and invite them for dinner. Tomorrow might be a little bit too near-term but the day after tomorrow? Would that suit you?”  
“Yes.” Sara looked at Sofia.   
“It’s all up to you, Sara.”  
“Yes, that would be great. Can we bring something?”  
“Only yourselves.”   
“Maybe…” Sofia wanted to offer that Sara could come alone to meet her family but the look she caught of her girlfriend told her, she wanted and needed Sofia by her side. “…maybe we can bring a bottle of wine.”  
“Really, all we need you to bring is yourself. I’ll change my mind a few times what to cook and would end up cooking something for white wine while you bring red wine.”  
“Okay.” Sara smiled. Dinner with her new family. Old family? Real family? With a bunch of people who were somehow related to her and she didn’t know that they exist a few hours before. What a crazy world. 

The first night in ages Sara had slept. No nightmares. No turning around. Simple plain sleep. Priceless.   
“Hey, you’re awake.” Sofia was laying on her elbows, next to Sara, reading.   
“What time is it?”  
“Almost noon.”  
“Wow.” Sara had slept for almost twelve hours. “Since when are you awake?”  
“Tenish. There’s some breakfast for you on the table, the coffee is cold, but if you want I can put on the kettle and make some fresh one.  
“I can do that myself. Did you have a shower?”  
“Yes.”  
“Means I’ve to take one alone. Pity.”  
“Tell you something. You take your shower, I make a coffee for you.”  
“That’s my girl, that’s why I love her.”  
“Because of my coffee?”  
“Because you take care of me in a very nice way.” Sara bent over and kissed Sofia. “Thanks for yesterday.”  
“My pleasure.”  
“Sometimes I wonder how I managed my life without you.”  
“You did, you did good otherwise you wouldn’t be where you are. But with me you do better.”  
“Smug bitch.”  
“Take your shower, honey.”  
“One more comment like the last one and I’ll take you with me; fully dressed.”  
“Dream on.” Sofia put her book away and got up. She took Sara’s hand and pulled her into her arms to kiss her. “I make some breakfast.”  
“I’m not that hungry.”  
“You didn’t have anything since yesterday late afternoon. You need to eat. If you’re not hungry I’ll make a couple of sandwiches and we’ll head down to the Santa Monica Pier as soon as you’re done and have a picnic on the beach. Like that?”  
“I like that and I love you. Five minutes.”  
“Take ten if you want.”  
“Five minutes are more than enough without you.” Sara kissed Sofia and walked into the bathroom.   
Sofia followed her with her eyes and smiled. The song ‘Crazy little thing called love’ came to her mind. Loving Sara Sidle was a crazy thing to do. At least when she thought of how she and Sara behaved only a few months ago. Not even half a year ago they were like fire and water. How did Sofia hate the cases with Sara, especially when the investigator was in one of her moods again. Bitchy and snappy. Then this kiss, unexpected kiss, and it all became clear to Sofia. She was so hurt all the time because she had feelings for Sara. And Sara was so bitchy because she felt the same. Took them both a long time to figure that out but better late than never. Now they spend as much time together as possible and Sofia knew probably more about Sara than anybody else.   
“You look cute when you’re lost in your thoughts.” Sara came out of the bathroom, only wrapped in a towel, leaving a wet trace, embraced Sofia, kissed her cheek and simply hold on to her for a second.   
“Had a nice swim?”  
“Missed you there.”  
“We can have a shower together the next time. Get dressed, dry your hair, it’s time for a picnic.”  
“Why don’t we have a picnic on our bed?”  
“I can see what’s on your mind, you’ll have to wait. Your girlfriend wants to see the ocean.”  
“The ocean is more important than I am.”  
“No, but I can have both, why should I settle for only one?” Sofia grinned, kissed Sara’s cheek and went to the fridge.  
“Life’s a bitch.”  
“If anybody knows something about bitching it’s you.” Sofia couldn’t stop herself from saying.  
“I’m still in the room, Sofia.”  
“I know. Cheese or peanut butter?”  
“Both.”  
Sofia smiled. So Sara was hungry. Of course. Well, they could have some sandwiches and buy a snack later.  
It took Sara less than fifteen minutes to be ready and they drove down to Santa Monica. A few hundred yards away from the famous pier they settled on a blanket and unpacked the sandwiches and some coffee in a thermos jug.   
“I like the beach.” Sara buried her feet in the sand, laid back and ate her second sandwich with closed eyes.   
“The sound of the waves is something beautiful, relaxing. It’s always like holiday.” Sofia placed herself next to Sara, on the belly, eating a banana. Her right foot met Saras in the sand she smiled when she felt the contact.   
“You slept better than the nights before.”   
“I know it felt so good. Must be the meeting yesterday in combination with holidays and the most important thing: you.”  
“You had me next to you the last weeks, you never slept that good. It was the conversation with Karen.” They hadn’t talked about the evening, when they left Karen’s place just before midnight, they were exhausted and went straight to bed. Sofia didn’t want to hurry Sara to make a comment, she wanted her to have some time to think and let everything sink.   
“Yeah.”  
“Do you like her?”  
“I think so.” Sara grabbed another sandwich with one hand and Sofia’s hand with the other. “She seemed to be nice. And so does Jake.”  
“Yes.” Sofia stroke with her finger over Sara’s hand. “He tried to protect her a few times.”  
“I know, reminded me of you. Karen and me talked about the past, Jake and you were trying to make sure we’re fine and we don’t do anything that isn’t good for us. It’s good to know she has him, it wasn’t easy for her.”  
“Neither was it for you.”  
“No.” Sara thought about the evening. She knew by telling Sara all these things, Karen had to go back to the night she had been raped. Sara could only imagine how awful that was and she wasn’t sure if had asked for the story if she had known, it was this painful.   
“I was made with hate, fear, violence, force, no love, my childhood was abuse, violence, no love, the teenager time was loneliness, no love, incomprehension, my job is full of violence, hate, murder, abuse, how am I suppose to be a human being? How am I suppose to give to anybody? I never had anything like this in my life.”  
“I don’t know how you make it, Sara, I can only tell you, you do make it. You give me love, more love than anybody has ever given me before. Maybe it’s because of your past, maybe that’s your way to cope with it. Whatever it is, it is wonderful what you do to me, what you give me. You can give me so much love with only one look, one little touch, it’s amazing. I’ve never felt anything like this before. Being with you is like being in a safe haven. I know nothing can happen to me when you’re there.”   
Sara opened her eyes, pulled Sofia to her and kissed her.   
“You’ve no idea how happy I am to have you, how much I love you.”  
“Maybe I can imagine if I think how happy I am to have you and how much I love you.” Sofia smiled and snuggled close to Sara.   
“I hope I can give you some of all these things, you give to me, back.”  
“You do. Maybe you don’t see it, you don’t feel, but I do. You give me so much, Sara, there’s no need to worry that you don’t give me enough. Simply by letting me go with you yesterday evening, you gave so much.”  
“It was more that you did me a favor.”  
“No. It showed me how important I am for you, how much you love me, how much you trust me. Things, that are very important for me to know.”  
“Sounds a little bit like we’re made for each other.”  
“According to my baby brother we are.”  
“What does Mister Boombastic know about that? His job is to rescue helpless women and make them happy. It’s not like that relationships are his strength.”  
“No, not really. Or maybe because he lost his marriage he knows what it’s important to have a good relationship. He looks for women who are not looking for a relationship so he has to know the signs to avoid them.”  
“Why was he flirting with me?”  
“Because he can’t help himself and I think he wanted to make me move. I’m sure this little bastard knew what I felt for you before I did. And he didn’t say anything.”  
“If he had you would have denied it, wouldn’t you?”  
Sofia mumbled something unhappy.   
“I take that as a yes. No worry, I’d had done the same. He knew that. By making you stop him flirting with me, he got you thinking why you didn’t want him to get me and by telling me, you asked him to back off, he got me thinking why. Well, I was too stupid to see why, so he told me a little more until I got it. Your brother is a damn smart guy – and looks good. A dangerous combination.”  
“I don’t want you to hear you saying that.”  
“You know it’s true.”  
“That doesn’t change anything. I still don’t like to hear that.”  
“Do you like to hear that I love you?”  
“I do.”  
“I love you, Sofia. Only you.”  
“Love you too, Sara. Only you.” Sofia kissed Sara. “And one day I’ll forgive you calling Steve Mister Boombastic.”  
“It’s not like this character was very…how can I say it? Sexy? Bright? He was a show-off, didn’t look that good, overcastted. Your brother is better.”  
“Again a thing I don’t want to hear.”  
“Thanks God I know you love Steve, so I can go on saying things like this.”  
“Mhm.” Sofia made a grimace.   
“Don’t do that, your face might get stuck like this.” Sara grinned. Who would have thought that she’d quote this awful sentence of Gil?   
“Shut up.” Sofia laughed and pulled Sara closer in her arms. “Are you alright?”  
“Yes, I am. That surprises me a little bit.”  
“I’m glad you are. I thought it might hit you hard.”  
“It did but I had the time to think and parts of me knew it won’t be a nice story. I was kind of prepared. Not for the whole thing, how could anybody? But having you there made things easier. Knowing it wasn’t her decision to give me away, that she tried to find me, made it easier not to hate her. She wanted me in her life, she wanted to give me a family, wanted to be a loving mom, it was never her fault.”  
“No, it wasn’t.”  
“And she seemed to like you, another point for her.”  
“You don’t choose your girlfriend for your mother’s sake you choose your mother if she likes your girlfriend?”  
“My girlfriend is more important to me, so yes. If she wouldn’t like you, if say, you don’t like her, I’ll get her out of my life.”  
“I do like her, I think her husband is a nice guy and I’m curious to meet your brother and sister tomorrow.”  
“So am I. Scary. Suddenly I’ve got a mother, a stepfather and a half-brother and half-sister. A whole family in a few weeks and they are all adults. Hell, I gonna be an aunt in a few month…am I suppose to do something for that?” Horror was in Sara’s eyes. “Am I suppose to ask for their birthdays? When is mother’s day? Is there a kind of father’s day? Do I have to give them something for these days?”  
“Oh Sara.” Sofia laughed. That was cute. “I don’t think you have to ask for their birthdays tomorrow. You can find out first if you like them. And if your sister wants you to be a part of her child’s life, she’ll let you know. Mothers are usually very clear with that. It might happen that she’ll show up out of the blue to show you baby photos, talk about girl’s stuff and cry on your shoulder because her husband is sooo silly.”  
“That’s worse than a double homicide!”  
“It’s family. I was quite happy that Steve was married here, that way his wife called me but didn’t come along to cry her eyes out on my shoulder.”  
“Do you still have contact to her?”  
“Every now and then, yes, I might call her later and tell her I’m in town. There was no bad blood between us, she knew I wasn’t happy how Steve acted but she also knew I love him. They were young, they both made mistakes, I can’t blame one of them.”  
“Mhm.” Sara closed her eyes. A whole family. “They are Karen’s and Jake’s children, they should be alright even if we both found out, you don’t have to be like your parents. DNA is one thing, what you do with it, is your thing.”  
“Right.”  
“Anthony sounded like I imagine you as a teenager.”  
“We’ve got some things in common, I think.” Sara smirked. “He’ll love the bike.”  
“You won’t take him for a ride.”  
“Why? It can help to built a relationship.”  
“All you want is to do some crazy things because you know you’ll have somebody as crazy as you are with you. No way. I’ll keep the keys.”  
“You’ll spoil the fun.”  
“I save your mother from a heart attack and help you to keep your license. When I recall correct, you said something like that to me yesterday.”  
“There you go, why are you allowed to drive like the devil and I’m not?”  
“I can bribe the police by being Steve’s sister, you can’t.”  
“I’m his sister-in-law.”  
“We haven’t married yet.”  
“Means when I marry you I can drive like I want?”  
“Means when we’re married you’ll have to be very careful with everything you do because of your loving, caring and worrying wife.”  
“Honey, the chances for us to get married went down…I could hear them falling deeeeep.”  
“Now I know what’s important to you.”  
“You.” Sara kissed Sofia. “Only you. And sometimes I’d like to have some fun.”  
“What do you think about water-ski?”  
“Never tried.”  
“Well, lets try. Should be perfect for an adrenalin junkie like you.”  
“You try to get my mind of the bike.”  
“Yes.”  
“At least you’re honest. But I think we do the water ski later, I’d like to meet my family without broken bones. I’m sure we can do that on Lake Meat.”  
“I’m sure we can. Wanna have a little walk? Down to Venice?”  
“Watching crazy people? One of my favorite hobbies.” Sara grinned. Between all these people at Venice Beach she felt ordinary and boring. A nice feeling sometimes. 

Sara was nervous. Again. She had stopped counting how often she had placed herself in front of the mirror and if she had more clothes in her back, she had changed a dozen times. Sofia, who was sitting on the sofa, watched her lover, half amused, half worrying.   
“Honey, you look good.”  
“I don’t, I…I don’t know. I need…I should have bought something today. We’re in L.A. and I didn’t go to a shop to buy something decent.”  
Sofia wanted to call Sara to her but she realized, the brunette wouldn’t listen. With a sigh the blonde got up, walked to her lover, pulled her arms around her and kissed her gently.   
“Sara?”  
“Mhm?”  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too…”  
“Is my opinion important for you?”  
“Of course.” Sara furrowed her brows. What did Sofia want to say?   
“You look beautiful the way you are. Beside that, it doesn’t matter because you meet your family and not a stupid society or fashion critic. Relax. We’ll take the bike, your hair won’t be like now, and you’ll wear black leather which looks really good on you…”  
“We could get a taxi.”   
“No, we won’t. Remember your little brother? He’ll love the bike.”  
“Right.”  
“So, take the bottle of champagne and let’s go. Or do you want to be late?”  
“No!”  
“See.” Sofia kissed Sara’s cheek and let go. She managed to walk one footstep when Sara’s hands grabbed her, pulled her back to the brunette and Sara’s lips covered Sofias for a passionate kiss.   
“I love you.” Sara managed to say when she needed some air.  
“Ditto. And your kiss can kill.”  
“Can you imagine a better way to die?”  
“No. If I have to die I want to be in your arms.”  
“I’ll see if I can do that in fifty years or so.”  
“Fifty years? Sounds alright for me, enough time to do something nice like meeting your new family.”  
“Our new family, honey. Our. They’re my family that means they’re also yours. Like your mother adopted me and your brother calls me sister-in-law. Remember, mine is yours.”  
“I thought it goes like: yours in mine and mine is not your business.” Sofia grinned.  
“I’m sure there’re a lot of relationships like that but not our. I’m more than happy to share with you.”  
“I’ll take my share of the good and bad. Come on, I drive.”  
“Spoilsport.”  
Sofia formed her lips to a kiss and left the room. Sara followed her with a smile. Sofia wanted to drive, that meant, Sara could try some of the champagne that sounded fair to her.   
Thanks to Sofia they were right on time. This time they parked the bike in front of the house and Karen greeted them in front of the door.   
“Hello you two. Nice bike. Anthony will love that one.”  
“I’ve got the keys, I won’t give them away.” Sofia promised.   
“Thanks Sofia. He’ll be on you with that the whole evening.”  
“I’ll mention I’m a detective, that should stop him a little bit.”  
“I hope so. Did you have a look around Los Angeles, Sara?”  
“Yes.” Sara handed the bottle of champagne to Karen.   
“Oh, thank you. That’s a good one, we’ll have this one after dinner.”  
“Champagne fits always, at least that’s what Sofia said when we saw the bottle today. We went to Venice and Santa Monica yesterday and visit an old friend of Sofia today.” Sofia had called her former sister-in-law and they had met for lunch.   
“Oh, you know people from L.A.?”  
“My brother used to work here, I know some of his colleagues and his ex-wife.”  
“Oh, he’s divorced.”  
“Yes, for the sake of both of them.”  
“Sometimes it doesn’t work out but I believe there’s the right one for everybody.”  
“I believe so too.” Sofia said and took Sara’s hand.   
“Looks like you found your one.”  
“We hope so. It’s quite fresh…but it feels like I knew her forever.”  
“That’s because we know each other for over three years.” Sara mumbled. Sofia smirked. She wanted to say, they worked together since three years but they didn’t know each other the first three years. But that was nothing Karen needed to know.   
“Come in, Shelley is already here, we’re only waiting on her husband and Anthony.” She led Sara and Sofia in the living room. A young woman with long dark blond hair was sitting in one of the armchairs. She got up when Sara and Sofia came in.  
“Shelley, that’s…”  
“She’s Sara.” Shelley pointed on Sara. “She looks like grandma when she was young.”  
“Yes.”  
“Hi, I’m Shelley.” She offered Sara her hand. Sara was thankful for that. She had no idea if she was supposed to hug them. She hugged Marie, she hugged Steve, they were like family, this was actually her family, she was supposed to hug them, was she? But they had never met before so maybe it was enough to offer her hand. Damn it, why had it be so complicated?   
“Sara. And that’s Sofia.”  
“Hello.”   
“Hi, is that your bike?”  
“My brothers. He gave it to us for the trip, figured we’d like to try it on the highway. We did.”  
“My little brother will love it.”  
“Your mother said so. I’ll keep the keys.”  
“That will be the best thing.” They had a seat. Sara and Sofia took their place on the sofa again. It wasn’t the first meeting with her mother anymore but Sara still needed Sofia next to her. And she wanted her next to her.   
Karen and Jake came in. Jake took the second armchair, Karen sat next to Sara.   
“Dinner is ready in ten minutes. We’ll start without Anthony if he can’t be on time. I told him twice.”  
“He’ll tell you if had a faster car he’d be on time.” Shelley giggled.  
“Yeah, he’d make me faster a mother who lost her son or a mother with a heart attack because of her son. No way he’ll get any money from us for a faster car or one of these killing bikes.”  
“Sounds like your mother when she saw Steve on the bike.” Sara grinned.   
“Yes. She has no problem me riding the bike, she hates it when he’s on it.”  
“If she’d know how you start sometimes…she’d be terrified.”  
“It’s controlled danger.”  
“There’s nothing like controlled danger.” Sara grinned.   
“You’re right on that.” Karen agreed.  
“This will never be a topic the family will agree on.” Jake laughed. He was a fan of motorbikes himself, because of his wife he resigned to get one.   
“I’m on mom’s side, you’re on Anthony’s side. Sara, it’s your voice that will count.”  
“What?” Panic was in Sara’s voice and Sofia chuckled quietly. She petted Sara’s hand slightly. No need to panic, Shelley was teasing her.  
“You don’t want her to make the decision, Shelley, believe me. She’ll be on the boy’s side, that’s why I’ve got the keys.”  
“No surprise on that.”   
“I like fast bikes…fast cars…” Sara said apologetic.  
“She must be my sister!” A young man with long dark brown hair came into the room. He wore blue jeans, a black shirt and a baseball cap.  
“Finally a cool sister. Mom, why did we have boring Shelley all the time? Sara seemed to be the cool one.”  
“Jake!” His father stopped him.  
“It’s alright.” His mother sighed. “That’s Tony’s way to welcome you to the family, Sara.”   
“Sure, welcome to the family.” His eyes fell on Sofia. “Another sister?”  
“No.” His mother laughed.  
“Good.”  
“Sara’s girlfriend.”  
“No kidding?” He looked from Sara to Sofia and back.  
“No kidding.” Sofia smirked.  
“What a pity. I know my new sister since one minute and have to steal her girlfriend. Sorry sis can’t show any respect in love and war.”  
“She’s a police detective.” His mother said dryly.  
“Shit. All yours, sis.”  
“Well, thanks.” Sara had to smile. Despite the fact Anthony wanted to steal Sofia from her, she liked him. He was cheeky in a boyish way and he shared her passion for fast cars and fast bikes.  
“You know Sara, your brother and my brother, they are a little bit alike.” Sofia noticed.   
“Yeah, when we have a big family meeting, they’ll get along perfect. It’s his bike outside.”  
“The Harley? It’s not only a bike, it’s like a church on wheels.”  
“Your grandparents would tell you off for that they’d make you regret even to think this for the rest of the evening.”  
“Probably for the rest of the time they’d here.” Anthony said. “Their problem.”  
“He’s really loving and caring.” Karen said with an annoyed look at her son.   
“Aren’t they all in that age?” Sofia asked.  
“Shelley wasn’t like that.”  
“I was.” Sara admitted.  
“See, as I said, she the cool sister. And her chick looks better than Harold.”  
“Be careful what you say, baby brother.” Shelley threatened. Anthony just snot.   
“I think I’ll get the dinner on the table. The young man gets nicer after he had some food.” Karen slapped playful Anthony’s back of the head. “Come on, you can help me.”  
“Yes Ma’am.” 

“So you are chasing bodies?” Anthony looked at Sara. They had finished dinner and were back on the sofa. Harold had appeared while they were eating, he and Shelley sat on the armchairs, while Sara and Sofia sat with Karen on the sofa, Jake took a chair and Anthony had placed himself on the carpet in front of his new sister.  
“Actually they don’t really run away.” Sara said dry.   
“Whatever, you look at them and Sofia catches the killers. If I go to Vegas and be a bad boy, will you put me in cuffs and interrogate me?”  
“I’ll send you for 24 hours in jail, in a cell with some really lovely guys who’ll adore you. They love long dark hair.”  
“That’s gross.”  
“Is it?” Sara raised an eyebrow.   
“Yes, it is. Guys, gosh, no way. Women, that’s sexy, two women kissing each other, that’s hot. Two guys making up is gross.”  
“He’s very liberal.” Shelley sighed.   
“It’s a boy’s thing, I think.” Sara said.   
“It’s natural that women are always sexy.” Anthony leaned back.  
“Fact is, if I’ve to take care of you, Anthony, you’re a suspect in a homicide case, not exactly what you want to be. So forget your dirty dreams about my cuffs and me.”  
“I’ll change some details and the dream will be great. Do you mind, sis?”  
“You touch Sofia and I’ll be the suspect and get the cuffs.” Sara grinned.   
“Honey, I’d never arrest you, I’d run away with you. We take the bike and take off.”  
“Hide on the Route 66.”  
“Take me with you.” Anthony pleaded.   
“No.” Came it from both women and the whole room was laughing.   
“One day I’ll have a bike.”  
“Start saving.”  
“Funny dad, I’m at the university.”  
“What are you studying?” Sofia asked.  
Anthony mumbled something that was impossible to understand.  
“What?”  
“Mmdmm.”  
“Medicine.” Shelley grinned.   
“Medicine?” Sara grinned widely. “You’ll be a doctor?”  
“Maybe. If I can’t be a rock star.”  
“Wow, I’ll have a doctor as a brother. What kind of doctor?”  
Now Anthony was grinning. “Medical examiner. One of the few with a med in front of. They’re better. One day we might work together.” He looked at the two women.   
“I was so happy when he made the decision to study medicine and then he said he wants to be a medical examiner.” Karen shook her head. “This boy is a walking disaster.”  
“And you love me.”  
“I do honey, I do. That makes most things even more difficult.”  
“The good thing is, now you only have to worry half about me.”  
“Why is that?”  
“You need the other half for Sara, her job is dangerous too. Less time to think what I’m doing. Did I mention that I love to have you as a sister, Sara?”   
“I think so, yes.” And it felt good every time he said it.   
“Might say that a few more times. Can I visit you in Vegas? Won’t mind sharing my bed with Sofia.”  
“I do mind.” Sofia laughed. “You’re barely an adult.”  
“Forget what’s written in the id, they’re faked most of the times.”  
“I can see if the id is real or not.”  
“Mine is real.”  
“Since a few month.” Shelley said.   
“Guess who told me where to get the best faked ids.” He glazed at her and got an evil look.   
“Shut up.”  
“The perfect daughter…”  
“Shut up!”   
“Make me shut up.”  
“Harold!”  
“Young man…”  
“Oh come on, Shelley, you can do better than that.”  
“I’m pregnant, I can’t punch the crap out of you.”  
“Shelley!” Karen looked disgusted at her daughter.   
“It’s a crazy family.” Jake said to Sara and Sofia. “I hope you can handle that.”  
“We handle worse things.” Sara assured him.   
“He can get worse.”  
“Maybe we have to give him a night in jail to get himself together.” Sofia suggested.   
“I like her less now.”  
“I think I can survive that.” Sofia smirked. “You won’t be a doctor, if I ever be your patience, it doesn’t matter anymore, I’ll be dead anyway.”  
“Does she have a friendly sister?” Anthony looked at Sara.  
“She’s got a gorgeous brother, who looks like a model…ouch.” Sara held her side. Sofia had pinched her.   
“Where is he?” Shelley asked ignoring her husband’s not amused look.   
“Working. Somebody has to lock up the bad boys. The bad girls follow him without any problems.”  
“Sara, nobody wants to know that.” Sofia said.  
“I do.” Shelley smiled.  
“Honey.” Harold tried carefully.   
“I’m just asking.”  
“I think it would be quite interesting to have to whole family together. Do you think your family would like that, Sofia?”  
“I’ll ask the captain.”  
“Captain?”  
“Her mother is a police captain.”  
“What does your father do?”  
“He’s a professor at the university so he has to suffer under three cops.”  
“That’s why your mother makes all the decisions.” Sara chuckled.  
“If he would make them, they wouldn’t be married anymore. He holds back.”  
“Wrong world.” Anthony mumbled.  
“Meet my mother and you’ll see it’s the right world.”  
“I’ve got holiday soon, I might pop over to Sin City. I always liked it there.”  
“Give me a call, we’ll find you a place to stay.” Sara offered.  
“He can stay with Steve in my apartment.”   
“I love that lady.”  
“I’ll take the bike and come to you.”  
“Every time I start to adore her, she says something to make me stop.”  
“I think she knows how to handle you, young man.” Karen tried to look strict to her son who simply ignored her. He had fun with his new sister and her girl friend, they were both cool. 

Meet the captain

When Sara got a text from Sofia she should come to the department ASAP she thought something bad had happened. Anxious she ran more than she walked to the office of her lover.   
“What happened?” Sofia was sitting at her desk, looked all right.   
“Come with me.” She got up and walked without any further explanation away toward to the interrogate rooms. Instead of walking in one, she opened the door to go into the room behind the mirror.   
“What are we doing here?”  
Sofia pointed without words to the mirror.  
“Anthony!?!” Sara was shocked. There was her little brother sitting at the table. What was he doing here? He was supposed to come to Sara’s apartment tonight, what was he doing at the department?   
“What…”  
“Don’t panic, nothing happened to him.”  
“Why is he…”  
“Remember the night we met him first? When he asked me if I could restrain him?”  
“Yes.”  
“Well, I told that my mother and I also told her, Tony is coming over today. She put his plate on the radio, when a traffic cop saw his car, he stopped your brother, called my mother and she restrained him and brought him here. I think his fantasy of being restrained doesn’t exist anymore. At least there won’t be a blond cop involved.” Sofia grinned.   
“Your mother did what?” Sara was speechless.   
“She played a practical joke.”  
“Yes, she did. While she was working.”  
“She does that sometimes. You did that to Steve and me too a few times. It’s very embarrassing when your car or the car of your boyfriend get stopped and you’ve to leave it, to go to the department and your mother interrogates you and your friends. I think I lost a couple of dates that way. She made that whenever she didn’t like whom I was dating. And she ruined some of Steve’s dates that way.”  
“Stories like that make me wonder if I really wanna go on dating you.”  
“Believe me, my mother loves you, she won’t do that to do. Not as long as you date me. If you stop doing that, she’ll do all these things to you.”  
“That sounds like I’ve no other choice than staying with you.”  
“Exactly.” Sofia smirked.  
“I’m caught like an animal in a trap. Well, if you’re arms are a trap, I’d stay in that trap the whole night…day…life.”  
“Good answer. Wanna rescue your brother?”  
“Your mother is gone?”  
“Yeah, she scared him, brought him here, called me and told him, he’ll have a wonderful night and she’ll take care of some really nice guys as cell neighbors.”  
“He’ll be horrified.”  
“You wanna see the video tape?”  
“You bet I want.” Sara laughed.   
“I’ll get it for us, we’ll have a lot of fun with that.”  
“Okay and I’ll see what I can do to get him out…I mean, I’m only a csi, I can’t do anything if the captain arrests him…what for?”  
“Traffic violation and she conjecture drugs in his possession.”  
“That will be a tough night for him.”  
“A lot of nice boyfriends.”  
“Probably.” Sara tried to get her smirk out of her face and replaced it with a sad look full of sorrow. Her poor brother was in trouble and she couldn’t help him.   
She opened the door. Anthony’s face was full of relief when he saw his sister.  
“Sara, get me out of here!”  
“What have you done, Tony?”  
“Nothing. I swear. Nothing.”  
“Mhm.” She took a file with an old case and opened it. “Traffic violation. A little bit too fast, baby brother? You played Nascar on the highway? Not the best thing, but nothing we can’t handle. I’m sure Sofia knows somebody in traffic…but this one…possession of drugs? That’s a thing we can’t get out of the way…”  
“I don’t do drugs, I don’t use them, I don’t sell them, and I don’t own them. I’ve no idea what this cop did, but there are no drugs anywhere near me. Your officer made that up.”  
“Captain.” If Sofia’s mother would find out he called her an officer she’d give him another free trip to the department.   
“Whatever. She was a bitch, she restrained me.”  
“You wanted to be restrained by Sofia, if I recall that correct.”  
“That was a joke and…Sofia is hot…this woman was…old.”  
“You’re not making yourself friends.”  
“They brought me here without any reason, they threatened me for no reason and no this bitch is going to lock me up in cage full of queers. Get me out of here.”  
“Most people survive a night in a prison.”  
“Sara, they want my ass.”  
“You know, you’d be lucky if the guys in the cell would gay, in that case they’d leave you alone. The problem is, these guys in the cell are straight and they rape other men only for fun, because they can do it. It’s all about power, violence and pain.”  
“Sara.” He was almost crying. Sara started to feel a little bit sorry for him. Before she could say anything else the door opened again and Marie came in.  
“Miss Sidle, what are you doing here?”  
“Captain, the suspect is my brother.”  
“He’s got the right to call his lawyer, not his sister.”  
“Sara, get me a lawyer, please. Get me out of here.”  
“Shut up, you sorry excuse for a man. He’s whining the whole time.” Sara had to focus on not laughing and at the same time of not getting scared of the captain. She played her part so good, Sara could get scared if she forgot it was all a joke.   
“I’m innocent.”  
“You know how often I hear that?”  
“It’s true.”  
“Yeah, sure.”  
Sofia came into the room.  
“Sofia!” In Anthony’s face was some new hope.   
“Hey Tony, you’re in trouble.”  
“I haven’t done anything wrong.”  
“You called the captain an old bitch.” Sofia smiled and looked how Anthony collapsed back upon himself. That was it. His freedom was gone. Sofia took it away.  
“An old bitch?” Marie got herself in front of Anthony. “Well, the old bitch found two people who’ll love to spend the night with you. And it’s old captain bitch for you.”  
“Sara…” He tried to grab Sara’s hand but got stopped by Marie.  
“No contact, no touching. He’ll have that later. You know what they do? What the guard will do before you even will be in the cell? Where they search you? Especially when you’re coming in for drugs?”  
“Sara…Sofia…” Tears were in his face.  
“I could restrain you now and bring you over.” Sofia offered. “To make one of your fantasies come true.”  
“I don’t have fantasies with handcuffs…or police…or whatever. I want to get out of here.”  
“Too sad. They can be so handy.”   
“Sara…do something. Please.”  
“I think he suffered enough.” Sara said.  
“Yeah, we should get him out of here.” Marie got up.   
“Sara!”  
“I can’t do anything I’m only a csi.”  
Anthony tried to jump up but Marie got him. “Don’t add an attack of a captain to your list, boy.”  
“Mom, I think you scared him enough.” Said Sofia who could also see the fear and desperation in Anthony’s face.  
“I just got started.”  
“He doesn’t know you, give him some credit.”  
“Mom?” He looked to Sofia and Marie.   
“Yeah, Captain Curtis, did I forget to mention my name?” Marie smiled. “You think it’s a coincidence that they’re both here? I do my own interrogation and there’s no reason to have a csi here. I called my daughter, she got your sister and now we’re all here. Like a little family feast.”  
“Family feast?”  
“Baby brother, they were playing you.” Sara put her hand on Anthonys. “A mean practical joke.”  
“A joke? I don’t…I’m free to go?”  
“You are free to go, your car is downstairs in the car park and your company for the night are these lovely ladies.” Marie grinned. “Maybe they can teach you how to lose your homo phobia.”  
“I don’t have…such a thing.”   
“There’s one big important rule: Don’t lie to me! Never ever lie or consider a lie. I’ll smell it before you’re done saying it and I’ll make you pay for trying to lie. And believe me, boy, you do have homo phobia when it comes to men. That was more than clear. Nothing will happen only because you’re in a cell full with guys. Not in the cell in the department, in prison everything happens. But do you panic when you’re all alone with women?”  
“No, that sounds like…” Anthony stopped.  
“A fantasy?” Marie asked very sweet.  
“…a better possibility.” Never ever would he mention the word fantasy when he was surrounded by one of these women.   
“He learns. Take him home, Sara. He’s all yours.”  
“Thanks. Do you come over for dinner tonight?”  
“When I finish on time I’ll be there. Can’t wait to meet your little brother again.”  
“Likewise.” Anthony mumbled.   
“Don’t lie to me, young man. This is the last time you’ve been warned.” Marie left the room.   
Anthony looked at Sofia. “Beside the fact that you look thirty years younger I like you more. She’s mean.”  
“Be careful with your words, there’re microphones in this room, if she went to the other room, she can still hear you.”  
“Is she around the whole time?”  
“She’s a police captain, she’s everywhere.” Sara smiled.  
“I think I wanna go back to Los Angeles very soon.”  
“She knows enough people there, you won’t be safe.” Sofia destroyed his hope.  
“Great. What can I do? She hates me.”  
“No, she doesn’t hate you, she sees you like prey. Don’t act like prey and she’ll leave you alone.”  
“I told her I’m scared of her.” Sara said. “The first morning I met her in Sofia’s apartment. I wanted to climb out of the window to get away, Sofia stopped me, left me alone with her mother and when asked me if I’m scared, I said yes. I was, there was no way I could deny that. She knew it, she saw it.”  
“She was nice to you.”  
“She was always nice to me.”  
“If she isn’t she’ll be in trouble with her daughter and her son.” Sofia took a look at her watch. “I’ve to go back, do some work.”  
“So do I.” Sara got up.   
“Steve’s home, you can ring the bell.” Sofia said to Anthony.   
“You’ll recognize Steve, he’s the best looking guy in Vegas…” Sara jumped aside to get not hit by Sofia’s hand. “Tall, black hair, great green eyes…” Another jump. “But I prefer blue eyes.”  
“One day I’ll get you for that.” Sofia growled.   
“One day yes, today is Friday, not one day. See you later.” She blinked at Anthony and threw a kiss to Sofia.   
“Is your brother like your mother?”  
“No, not really.”  
“Good, I can’t handle something like this twice.”  
“It’s a police family, get used to it.”  
“I’m from an average family, we don’t know things like that.”  
“Well, a part of your family is in the law enforcement, you’ll get use to it.”  
“Yeah. Big sis, I really like her, but this police thing…isn’t my thing.” He sighed.   
Sofia petted his back. He would be all right, she had no doubts about that. 

A very bad case

“We’ve got a busy night.” Gil had a lot of sheets of paper in his hand. “Cath, is the Super Dice one of Sam Brown’s casino?”  
“No, he didn’t own that one.”  
“Good, then there’s a 419 waiting for you and Nick. Warrick, I’ve a robbery for you. Side street between Freemont and North Strip, a French family was robbed, they all four are in hospital, it doesn’t look good for them. Greg, there was one or more burglar in Henderson, he or they robbed two houses. Take Hodges with you, he has to get some fresh air until we’re back in the lab with work for him. Sara, I need you with me.”   
“Where are we going?” Sara asked after all the others left.  
“We meet an old friend.”  
“An old friend?”  
“Yes.”   
She knew how he looked when he wasn’t in the mood for more information and he looked like that right now. Anyway, she’d find out soon.   
They left the city center and when he turned Sara had an inkstand idea where they were going. She had been here only once, not as a csi, as a friend.   
When they stopped in front of the big house and got out of the car, the front open opened.   
“Grissom, Sara.”  
“Lady Heather.” Sara had a little smile on her face. God, what had she been jealous the first time, when she worked the case with Cath and Cath told her, Gil and Heather had an affair. Or at least that was what Cath had thought. And then he didn’t come home, spent the night at Heather’s place without telling her anything. Their first big fight.   
“Heather, what happened?”  
“I think it’s the job of the detective to tell. They are all upstairs. Second level, fourth room on the left.”  
Elegant as usual Heather let them in and excused herself. No need to tell her to stay around, she would do so anyway.  
“We’ve got two victims upstairs.” Gil said when they walked up the stairs. There was no smell of blood in the air. Sara tried to smell iron but all she smelled was a mix of roses and vanilla.   
Before they could join David in the room Steve appeared.   
“Two victims, male and female. She’s the customer, he’s the employee. Diane Cornwell, age 27, married, mother of two, works in super marked and Keith Launch, age 22, worked here for a few months. He’s from Dallas, no family, no partner.”  
“Usually it’s the other way around, the female is the employee and the male the customer.” Sara said.   
“Well, the emancipation shuffles our old picture of the world. I’ve got four people in the other rooms, they all claim they haven’t heard anything.”  
“They never have. And I’m sure if you ask them tomorrow, they have never been here, don’t know this place exists.”   
“Probably.” Steve rolled his eyes and let Sara and Grissom enter the room.   
“Hey David.”   
“Hey, I’m almost done with him. Bullet to the skull. Entry wound is to the forehead I couldn’t find an exit wound so the bullet must be in his head.”  
“What’s about her?” Gil asked.   
“The killer took some time with her.” The woman was bounded to the bed. “Several cuts, bruises, the killer beat her face, stabbed her in both breasts and in the uterus.”  
“Personal.”  
“My guess.”  
“Personal for the woman, but not for the man. Makes me think, he got killed because he was around her. If he had been with any other client, he’d still alive.” Sara said.   
“Why killing her here? Why not on her way to here or on her way back? Why risk that anybody sees you, that somebody stops you?”  
“You think it’s not only about her, Gil? It might be him too? Or the business he’s working in? Heather?”  
“I don’t know.”   
“If anybody finds out then you.” Dave said and got up. “I’ll get somebody for the bodies. I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, it’s a busy night and I’ve to go to another homicide.”  
“They have to call in swing shift if there’re more cases.” Grissom took a closer look at the wounds of the woman while Sara started to take photos. 

“Did you know that the walls are soundproof?” Steve came in the room.   
“Yes.”   
“Yes?” He looked in disbelieve at Grissom.  
“People who come here want privacy, they don’t want to hear and they don’t want to be heard.”  
“If I want privacy I don’t go to places like this.”  
“Where would you go?”  
“I’d call somebody to come to me.”  
“Your neighbors will be very interested in the ever changing visitors or they’ll enjoy to see this one specific lady once a week.”  
“A casino room. Nobody cares there.”  
“You’ve got a family, you can’t stay away for a whole night. Most casinos don’t give you a room for an hour, the motels are very expensive. This is the easiest way.”  
“Whatever.”   
“Hey guys, I found a cell phone.” Sara held a cell phone in her hands. “And it’s not switched off. Wouldn’t you switch your cell off when you’re here? Either for work or pleasure?”  
“Yes.” Gil walked to her.   
“No calls in the last three hours, no text…it was on video.”  
“Did they shoot a video of their meeting?” Grissom raised an eyebrow.   
“Let’s have a look there’s only one video on.” Sara pressed the play button. Her face got pale and after a few seconds the dropped the cell in Gil’s hand and ran out.   
“Sara!” Steve wanted to follow her.  
“Give her a minute or two.” Gil stopped him.   
“What is in the video?” It had to be something very bad when Sara ran.   
Gil handed him the cell. A few seconds later Steve knew why Sara ran and he had to fight with himself not to run.   
“Who does somebody like that?”  
“The victim. It’s the woman.” Gil said.   
“How…I don’t understand people like this.”  
“We don’t have to understand, we have to find a murder.”  
“Seeing this I think, she deserved what she got. I know I’m not suppose to think like this but after this…video…it’s hard not to think like that.”  
“Think about the man who had to die and he didn’t do anything. If it makes it easier for you.”  
“This world is sick.”

Sara stopped outside, bent over and to breathe hard. Sick. So sick. The video and how she felt. She wished she could throw up but her guts were twisted, all she could do was trying to breathe and getting these pictures out of her head.   
“Sara.” Out of the blue Lady Heather was next to her.   
“I’m alright.”  
“You’ve never been a good liar.”  
“All I need is some air.”  
“I assume you don’t feel sick because of the two people in the room. And I also assume you can’t tell me why you’re here not up there. I don’t need to know.”  
“Did you know the woman?”  
“Personal? No.”  
“As a client?”  
“No, I’m sorry. But I can have a look for information about her. If she was a regular, how often she came here, if she was always with Keith.”  
“That would be helpful…”  
“Sara! You’re alright?” Steve came to them. When he saw Lady Heather he stopped. “You’re suppose to be in the room. I’ll talk to all of you as soon as I’ve found out where the boss is. A house like this, this guy must be somewhere.”  
“Guy?”  
“Yeah, they’ll have a pimp. Something like this needs somebody who pulls the strings.”  
“You get some air and I’ll make the tea. I’m sure Grissom will have one too.”  
“This isn’t a tea party.” Steve said.  
“Really?” Heather turned and walked away.   
“Sara?” Steve put his hand on her shoulder.  
“I’m alright, I needed some air.”  
“Take all the time you need.” He took her in his arms for a second.   
“Maybe we do need a break.”  
“When you say something like that…you must feel really bad.”  
“I do but I’ll cope.”  
“I know you will. And I’ll find whoever is in charge here.”  
“You did already.”  
“Honey as much as I love you, you’re not the boss.”  
“I wasn’t talking about me.”  
“This woman? I’m not looking for a whore I’m looking for the pimp.”  
“She isn’t a whore, she’s Lady Heather, it’s her business and she deserves more respect. She’s a very special woman.”  
“Sounds like you know her.” Steve was surprised.   
“I do.”  
“Private or business?”  
“Are you asking as a brother-in-law or a detective?”  
“Both.” He had to admit. If Sara knew this person private, he had to think of what she did in her spare time. Or what she was still doing?   
“That’d be my answer too.”  
“You know her private?”  
“Yes, and no, not as I’m the private person and she’s on business. I mean, as we’re both private. And as a business person because I worked a case and she was the victim. One of her clients tried to strangle her. Believe me Steve, she’s special.”  
“Do I have to worry?”  
“You don’t have to worry as a detective and you don’t have to worry as Sofia’s brother.”  
“Good.”   
“Trust me.”  
“I do.”  
“Trust me on being honest to Sofia and on knowing Heather.”  
“She’s the only one who has a key to the room. We found no evidence of forced entry.”  
“I know.”  
“She’s a suspect.”  
“She has nothing to do with this.” Sara turned. “Come on, detective, we’ll have a cup of tea and a conversation with the witness and owner of the business.”  
Sara entered the house and turned left. She knew where to find Heather and she knew, there was no need to call Grissom. He’d go on working upstairs. Right now he was there for the evidence, for the victims, later he’d be there for Heather.   
“No sugar?” Heather poured tea in Chinese porcelain.   
“No sugar, thanks.” Sara sat down.   
“Detective?”  
“I’d prefer if you answer a few questions instead of playing the perfect host.”  
“I’ll answer your questions, don’t worry.”   
“No milk, one sugar, please.”  
She smiled and handed the cup to Steve, poured herself a cup of tea and sat down.   
“Where have you been between ten and midnight?”  
“In my office.”  
“You don’t work?”  
“I do work. I’m not in my office for my private pleasure.”  
“What’s about the other work?”  
“I don’t work with clients anymore.” She looked at Sara, who was surprised.   
“You stopped working with clients? I didn’t know that.”  
“It’s a long time that we talked the last time, Sara.”  
“True. When did you stop?”  
“A few months ago. I do the books, I do a lot with the internet.”  
“Is it because of the case? The one we met?”  
“No.” Heather smiled. “It’s not a business reason, it’s private.”  
“Well, as long as you’re happy it’s the right decision.”   
“I am. To answer the next question of the detective, nobody saw me in my office. I do have some documents I worked on and they’ll show the time you asked for but I’m sure there’s a way to rig that. Not that I know how but why should you believe me, detective?”  
“I don’t.” Steve said simple.   
Lady Heather smiled only.   
“You don’t trust me because of my profession.”  
“I don’t trust you because there’s no evidence that you were in your office.”  
“Would you excuse me for a moment?” Heather got up.  
“Where are you going?”  
“I’m getting you some evidence.”   
Sara put her hand on Steves to stop him from following Heather.   
“What?”  
“She won’t run and if there was any evidence, don’t you think she had enough time to let it vanish? Like three hours.”  
“You never know.”  
“Trust me.”  
“I do trust you, I don’t trust her. And why do you trust her so much? It can’t be only because you had this case with her.”  
“She’s a special friend of a very good friend.”  
“I’m not sure if I can take this the whole time as a reason. Who’s this special friend?”  
“You know him.”  
“A him? Oh come on, you can’t trust a guy on this. We’re blind when it comes to women.”  
“Yeah, I found that out a long time ago. It is quite useful sometimes.”  
“You’re playing guys?”  
“If it works for me.”  
“My sis-in-law is ice cold.”  
“Last time you told me I’m hot.” She smirked. She would tell Steve more about Lady Heather and this special friend if she had to. At the moment she preferred not to do so. 

“I’ll go to the husband of Diane Cornwell, Grissom, you wanna join me?” Steve said.  
“I’ll come with you.” Sara got up.   
“Sara, I…”  
“Steve, I can handle it. Gil, you’re okay with this?”  
“Sure. But call if you need some help.”  
“I will. Say goodbye to Heather even I’m sure I’ll see her soon.”  
“It’s her place, we will be back.”  
“She’ll hate that, it’s bad for the business.”  
“Murder is bad for the life.” Steve said dryly. “I’ll get the car.” He left the room.  
“He’s not happy with Heather.” Sara said.  
“I didn’t think he’s that narrow-minded.”  
“Neither did I. Somehow Heather or the business is a problem for him. He sees her as a suspect.”  
“Naturally, she’s got a key and there’re no signs of forced entry.”  
“She claimed she was in her office at the time of murder. Alone. She saved some files on her computer between ten and midnight but all you need is a gap of a few minutes for the murder, hell it’s enough to shoot him, tie her up, maybe gag her, go back, save some more files and go on. Heather needs a better alibi.”  
“You tell me as a CSI or a friend?” He smiled slightly.  
“As a CSI friend. Talk to her, she’s shaky even if she’d never say so.”  
“Seems like a lot of women around don’t want to show their weakness and try to hide it.”  
“We’re becoming more male.” Sara sighed. She knew, she was trying the same, hiding her feelings but it didn’t work out the whole time.   
“Oh well, call me if you need me, if it’s possible I’ll try to get some help but the night’s busy.”  
“Like they had an appointment for murder.” Sara took her kit.  
“Sara?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Don’t wander off, stay with the officers. This might be a dangerous case.”  
“Now you sound like Sofia.”  
“She’s a smart woman.”  
“She is.” Sara smiled and left. Sofia. Sara wondered what her girlfriend was doing. They hadn’t had any contact since their shifts started, usually they wrote each other some text messages when they weren’t at the same scene.   
“You know where Sofia is?”  
“With Cath.”  
“Wrong world.”  
“Why?”  
“Well, my girl is with Cath and your girl is with Sofia.”  
“Cath isn’t my girl. We had some fun together, that’s all.”  
“More than once.”  
“Still casual, we both don’t look for something deeper.”  
“One day a woman will get you and you won’t want to let her leave you again.”  
“In forty years, yes.”  
“And she has to be twenty?”  
“No, that’s disgusting. I’ll be seventy, she should be at least sixty.”  
“Not the usual male statement.”  
“I’m not a usual male.”  
“No, you’re not.” She smiled and then became serious. “What is your problem with Lady Heather? Is it her business?”  
“She’s a suspect.”  
“I know and I also know she’s innocent.”  
“Evidence?”  
“You know there’s nothing. But there won’t be anything that will incriminate her.”  
“Off the record, why are you so confidence that she’s innocent?”  
“Grissom.”  
“What? What has this to do with Grissom?”  
Sara looked at Steve and smiled.  
“What? He and this…woman?”  
“Lady. Yes, he and Lady Heather.”  
“I don’t believe that.”  
“You can believe me. There had always been something special between them. First a special friendship and out of that a special relationship developed.”  
“He can’t investigate a case with his girlfriend as a suspect.”  
“She isn’t a suspect.”  
“I’m afraid we won’t agree on this one.”  
“Give me a motive.”  
“The video.” He said carefully.   
“Why should Heather know about it?” Sara was glad that her voice was steady.  
“I don’t know.”  
“Neither do I. Trust my intuition.”  
“I can do that, I don’t know if my captain and the DA can. Because if we or Grissom haven’t found anything that incriminate her or leads us to another suspect, she’s the only suspect we have.”  
Well, I like the husband more. First she’s with another man, second, it’s more likely that he saw the video on her cell and third, it was a kill in passion, there’s no reason why Lady Heather would kill Diane Cornwell in passion. It just doesn’t click for her.”  
“You’re right with that.”  
“Thanks.” Sara took Steve’s hand. “We’re working together, don’t we?”  
“Sure.”  
“Good. I need you as a back-up; in every way.”  
“I’ll be there – in every way.” He stopped in front of a mid-size house. A few seconds later a black and white showed up. Their back up.  
“Hey guys.”  
“Detective, what do we have?” The two officers were young. Sara wondered if they send Rookies out together.   
“We have for sure a dead wife of the man inside, we don’t know if he’s responsible for it. Be prepared he might be.” They walked to the door. Before Steve could ring the doorbell a car pulled wheels pinned out of the driveway and took off.  
“Fuck! He leaves! Get in the car! Get in the car! Central, suspect takes a fly, we need back-up.” He stopped before he jumped in the car. “Sara, you stay. Stay out of the house! Got me? Don’t go inside until back-up is here.” He was already following the officers before Sara could say something.   
“And they tell me I leave the scene all the time.” She mumbled. She took her cell and asked for back up. The first curious neighbors looked out of their windows.   
Don’t go inside. Okay, she could obey here. She got her crime scene tape out of the kit and started to secure the scene, always watching her back. Steve was right, it was possible there was another suspect in the house, on the other hand, there could be victims inside. Every second could count. While she was here playing with tape, somebody could die inside. She had a gun, she knew how to use it, she could go inside…yes, she’d get in trouble with Gil, with Steve, most of all with Sofia, but she might safe a life. When she opened the door and called inside if somebody needed some help…  
A black and white stopped her thoughts. A young and an older officer stepped out. Both were female.   
“Did you request back-up?”  
“Yes. We need to go inside, secure the surroundings. Possible homicide.”  
“Step back.” The older woman got her gun out and walked to the house. Sara followed her and the other officer. They rang the bell, they knocked on the door, nothing happened. A second black and white appeared.  
“Secure the outside.” The older women called. She stepped back and with one kick she opened the door.   
Sara shook her head. And they said, she had a strange way of handling situations. She never kicked in a door.   
With their guns ready they entered the house.   
“LVPD! Anybody home?” Next to the door were steps. The younger officer secured them while the older one started to walk in the house. As far as Sara could see there were no signs of struggle or forced entry.   
“Mommy?” All three froze. In the second level was a girl, maybe five, looking down on them. “Mommy? Are you there?”  
“It’s the police not your mommy, sweetheart. Is there anybody else upstairs beside you and your brother?” Sara asked as gentle as possible. “Where’s your daddy?”  
“Gone.”  
“Is there anybody else? Only you and your brother?”  
“Yes.”  
“Come down, sweety.”  
“Daddy always says I’m not suppose to go to stranger.”  
“He’s right.” Sara swallowed. “I’m Sara, I work with the police. You see, here are two officers. You can come to us, we’re the police.” She took one step up the stairs. The girl looked at her, Sara could see fear in the girl’s eyes.   
“I don’t hurt you, nobody will hurt you. The police doesn’t hurt anybody.”  
“Mike! Run!” The girl yelled and started to run away from the stairs.   
“Fuck!” The younger officer started to run up the stairs, so did Sara. The girl was up the stairs to the attic when Sara wanted to follow her, he bumped into a little boy, maybe four, who came out of his room.  
“Hey, hey, stop.” She caught him and expected him to start fighting. Instead of that he got rigid.   
“Mike? I’m Sara, I’m with the police.” She got her badge out and showed it to him. “Nothing will happen, nobody will hurt you.” The boy was shaking all over. “Oh Honey, don’t be afraid nothing will happen.”  
The officer came back with the girl on her arm. Like the boy, the girl got rigid.   
“Can you take her? I’ll secure the scene up here.” She left the girl with Sara. A little bit helpless Sara looked at the children.   
“Come on, we’ll go down.” The children followed her, they moved like robots.   
“Everything is clear here.” The older officer came to them.   
“Can you bring them out? Child service is on call, they’ll be here in a few minutes when you give them a call.” Steve had called them before they came here. First because the children had lost their mother and now it looked like the father wasn’t innocent.   
“Clear.” The young officer called from upstairs.  
“Stay with the CSI inside, I’ll take care of the children.”  
Sara waited until the children were gone and called Grissom.  
“Gris, we’ve got a problem. The husband took off when Steve, the officers and me appeared. I guess we’ve got another place to cover. Two story house.”  
“I’ll try to find some back-up for you.”  
“Thanks.” She put the cell back in her pocket. No primary crime scene in here, she could start in the office.  
“How did you know the girl has a brother?” The young officer asked.  
“There was…some evidence at the other scene about that.” She had recognized the girl and knew there was a brother. Or she was very sure there was a brother.   
“Strange case.”  
“Mhm.” Sara took some photos of the office and opened a drawer. Files. Bank statements, bills, notes.   
“I’ve got the plate number of the car.” She handed the paper to the officer.   
“I’ll check if the colleagues have it.” She left.   
Relieved to be alone, Sara took a deep breath. She bagged some more things, took photos and moved to the filing cabinet. Locked. What was so important that it had to be locked in the own office at home? How good were her skills in opening locks?   
She could sense Sofia before she saw or heard her.   
“Don’t touch me.” Sara said when Sofia entered the room.  
“What?”  
“Don’t touch me.”   
Sofia stopped a yard behind Sara. She didn’t need the words to know something was wrong. She felt it. She could see Sara wasn’t all right.   
“What are you doing here?”  
“I’m your back-up. Cath is closing the case, the killer left his wallet at the scene. Warrick is on his way to Grissom. I’m your detective with CSI experience until Cath is here. What do you want me to do?”  
“The outside.”  
“Because you don’t want me to be around you.”  
“The man flew through the back door, try to get his prints there. Back door to the garage, down to the street.”  
“Sara, what happened?” Sofia stepped closer to the CSI who almost jumped away.  
“Don’t. Just…don’t. Please.”  
“Did I do anything wrong?”  
“No, of course not.” Surprise and anger came to Sara’s voice. She forced herself to turn and look Sofia in the eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Sofia. It’s...it’s the case. It’s me. This is…I know, if you touch me, if I feel your skin on mine, I’ll lose it. It takes all I have to keep myself together, not to break, one touch and I’ll be in your arms and won’t leave them until I’ve cried all the pain out of me. We can’t have that here, I can’t act unprofessional like that. I need to stay focused. It’s not you, it’s me. All right? You did nothing wrong.”  
“Alright.” Sofia swallowed once. “I’m outside as you asked me to do. I’m here for you and with you if you want. Anytime.”  
“I know. I feel better now that you’re here.”  
“Call me if you need me – professional or private.”  
“I promise. Oh, and Sofia?”  
“Yes?” Sofia stopped in front of the door.  
“I didn’t enter the house alone, I was a good CSI and waited for the cops when Steve left me alone.” A faint smile appeared on Sara’s face.  
“I’m proud of you and my baby brother will get some trouble for leaving you alone.” Sofia formed her lips to a kiss and left.   
Sara swallowed hard twice. All right, it was time to open the lock. It took her a minute until she could open the cabinet and she knew from the first second, it was worth it. A huge collection of videotapes and dvds. Her guts tightened up. She had an idea what was on them, she didn’t look forward to watch and felt sorry for Archie, who had to watch them. After a few photos she started to bag them. It would be a long night. 

Sara didn’t go home, she went to Sofia’s place. They had agreed to meet there when Sofia left the lab to go back to the police department. Two hours later, it was almost noon, Sara opened the door to Sofia’s apartment. She saw the jacket of her girlfriend on the hook. Of course Sara was late.   
Instead of going straight to the bedroom where Sofia would be, Sara walked in the bathroom, stripped down and hoped, Sofia left her alone in here for a few minutes. She needed some time to wash away the memories, to clean her mind. The hot water was the best for that.   
With skin deep red she stepped out of the shower, dried her hair shortly with a towel, wrapped herself in the towel, didn’t bother to put on some clothes and walked to Sofia’s bedroom. There she was, sitting in her sleep-shirt on her bed, looking at Sara. Without any words Sofia moved her blanket so that Sara could come into bed.   
Sara dropped the tower, slipped under the blanket the second, she touched Sofia and was in her arms, she lost it. Her whole body was trembling, tears ran out of her eyes and if Sofia hadn’t hold on to her so strong, Sara might have fallen out of the bed.   
“Let it out, Honey, let it all out.” Sofia stroke with her hand Sara’s back. “Don’t fight in anymore, you can let it out. It’s all right, I have you, I catch you, I hold on to you. Don’t worry, just let go.” Stroking the brunette’s back she kissed Sara’s neck softly.   
“I’m sorry.” Sara sobbed.  
“Don’t be.”  
“I…”  
“It’s alright, Honey.” Sofia shifted them a little bit so that Sara was lying in her arms. Kiss by kiss Sofia tried to make the traces and the fresh tears disappear.  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you more about the case tonight.”  
“What I know is enough, I don’t think I want to know more. But I’m afraid I have to know more.”  
“Did you watch the video?”  
“No, but I heard of it. You saw it.”  
“Found it.”  
“Oh Sara.” Sofia pulled Sara closer in her arms. “They shouldn’t let you work this case.”  
“I can’t get out because of…because I’ve trouble to pull myself together.”  
“Nobody said that. Child abuse is always hard, this case…seemed to be harder.”  
“It was the worst I’ve ever seen. I can’t understand how people can do that. How can you, as a parent, let things like this happen to your children? It’s her cell, she knew, she probably took the video…that’s…sicker than the people who buy this stuff.” Sara had to stop or would throw up. She needed a few seconds to get everything inside herself back to where it belonged.   
“Don’t talk about it.”  
“It won’t leave me just because I hush it up.”  
“No, it won’t.”  
“Unless you want me to shut up what I can understand.”  
“No. I know it’s not a nice story, I know, it’s awful but…I prefer to hear everything from you, here where we’re alone and can hold each other.”  
“I feel like a big glass of scotch.” Sara sighed.  
“I might have some in the kitchen…”  
“No, I can’t fight demons with alcohol, I did that, another not nice thing about your girlfriend.”  
“You fought the alcohol, shows me my girlfriend is stronger than any drug.”  
“Does nothing of my not very bright past scares you?”  
“Why should the past scare me? It’s in the past. If you’d drink now I’d be scared because now is the present, the important thing. No need to worry about the past.”  
“So easy?” Sara asked quietly.  
“No, not easy. I keep telling me this for myself, can’t work it out completely. Maybe we can try it together?”  
“I’d like to.” Sara kissed Sofia.   
“Then we’ll do that.”  
“Okay.” It was time to come back to business even if Sara wished, she could just forget everything she had seen today. Better now with Sofia than later alone or in the lab.   
“What do you know about the video on the cell?”  
“Child abuse.”  
“Yes…”  
“And I know about you’re adoptive parents, so if you don’t want to go on telling me…”  
“…I want, probably need to. And what happened to me was not half as bad as what these parents did to their children. I can consider myself lucky my adoptive parents only punched the crap out of me and my foster parents more or less ignored me. We’re talking about the real parents of these children. I know now my mother wanted me, she cared for me, but these poor children…”Sara had to swallow, buried her face in Sofia’s shoulder. She hoped she could say these words without getting sick, without losing it.   
“Their parents forced them to have sex…with animals.” 

“Hey I’m sorry I left you alone.” Steve apologized when he saw Sara leaving Sofia’s room. They hadn’t any time to talk to each other since he had left her alone in front of the house of the Cornwallis.   
“That’s alright, I managed not to get shot or anything like that. To be fair and to warn you, your sister isn’t happy about that, you’ll get some trouble from her. From her as your sister not as your colleague.”  
“I’m just to have trouble with her as my sister. We grew up that way.”  
“It’s a sibling thing – I think.”  
“Yeah, you learn to fight in the family. And when it’s better not to fight.”  
“Some learn other things.” Sara said regretting her words immediately and swearing at herself for this shaky voice.  
“Try to keep it out of your mind as long as you’re not working. Can’t be long.”  
“Gonna start as soon as I’ve eaten something. You?”   
“Same. Sofia?”  
“Comes with us…how am I suppose to eat with this case?”  
“If you don’t you won’t have enough energy to get all the evidence you need to send not only the father but also the rest of them to prison. He escaped yesterday, we’ll get him tonight and I’m sure, they weren’t alone.”  
“Not to mention there’s a killer outside.” Sofia stepped in the kitchen, kissed Sara on the cheek and took a cup of coffee.   
“Yes. I don’t think it was the husband who killed the wife. There’s no logical reason why he should have done that at the bordello.”  
“Steve likes Lady Heather as a suspect.” Sara said dryly.   
“Lady Heather? That Lady Heather?”  
“Yes.”  
“Why does everybody know her? Did she have a show at the department? Some kind of strange Christmas party or so?”  
“I worked a case with her.”  
“Same said Sara.”  
“Well, Sara and me do work cases together, we do sometimes know the same people.”  
“You also know her private?”  
“Whom? Lady Heather? No.” Sofia looked at Sara. “Do you?”   
“Yes.”  
“Why?”  
“She’s a friend of Gil…was…now they’re more. I think. I’m pretty sure.”  
“Grissom and Lady Heather? Well, she’ has charm, she’s educated, she’s mystic, she fits perfect to him. They’re both very…I don’t know a word that fits.”  
“You think she’s capable of killing?”  
“She’s a dominatrix. Would she kill? I don’t think so. I think she’s very good in her job and for that you’ve to have a lot of control and power – about yourself. Beside, killing somebody in your own building, by being the only one with a master key, is very stupid and she’s everything but stupid.”  
“Thanks Sofia.” Sara smiled.   
“The two of you seemed to be very sure about that. Adding to that that Grissom doesn’t seemed to be a man who loses himself easy to anybody, I might over think everything again.”  
“It’s a crime of passion, it was personal, and Lady Heather has no personal reason to kill Diane Cornwall. It does nothing but damage her business.” Sara took the sandwich Sofia had made for her. Salad and cheese, her favorite. No wonder she loved to spend time with Sofia when she treated her like this.   
“She came in last night for questioning, without a lawyer.”  
“You won’t see her hiding behind anybody.” Sofia bit in her own sandwich, decided it was too hot and stole a bit of Saras to daze the burn.  
“Hey!” Sara protested.   
“Sorry, too much pepper.”  
“What do you’ve got on it beside pepper?”  
“Egg and cheese.”  
Sara grinned, took Sofia’s sandwich and handed her hers. “All yours.”  
“I love you.”  
“You owe me a new one.” Sara bit in her new sandwich. First, she liked hot sandwiches and second, her cheese and salad one was almost finished, Sofia had hers only started. The perfect switch for her.  
“You’re cute.” Steve smiled. “Like an old married couple.”  
“Is the emphasis on old or married, brother?” Sofia asked while she started to make two new sandwiches.  
“Married, of course.”  
“You had these moments with your wife?”  
“Not after we were married…and there was no time before we got married.”  
“Thought so. You know, she still doesn’t find many good words about you.”  
“Women are so unforgiving.”  
“Men like to forget. Especially the mistakes they’ve made.” Sofia handed Sara her new sandwich and bit in her own one. Salami. To make sure Sara wouldn’t steal this one. 

“We’ve got another body.” Grissom came in the lab where Sara was buys working on evidence. She tried to stay away from audio and video and Grissom didn’t try to get her there. He wasn’t happy having her in the case, he knew, she suffered but he also knew, if he offered her to leave the case, she’d say no.   
“Another body to our case?”  
“I’m afraid so. The husband.”  
“Oh.” The was the nicest thing Sara could say. From her point of view, with her knowledge this man deserved to die. And he deserved to suffer.   
“You wanna come?”  
“Yes.” Want? Yes, she wanted to make sure this man was dead.   
“How did you sleep?” Gil asked when they were in the car.  
“Sofia caught me quite good, I had some sleep, no nightmares.”  
“That’s good.”  
“Did they clear Heather?”  
“Yes, there’s no reason why she should have killed that woman.”  
“Everybody with a conscience had a reason to kill her. The problem was, people with conscience didn’t know what they were doing.”  
“It’s hard to argue different, but we do have a killer on the run. Nevertheless what this couple might have done, we need to find their killer.”  
“I won’t let him take off in case I see him or her, don’t worry.”  
“I never thought you would.” He smiled.   
They didn’t talk until they arrived at the crime scene. Robert Cornwell was left in the desert, not too far from the street, the killer wanted him to be found.  
“Gunshot wound to the head, the stomach and the genitalia.” David said when he saw them coming. “The headshot was fatal, I think he lived when he got the other two bullets.”  
“TOD?” Grissom asked.  
“Eight hours ago.”  
“He took off in the night, around one, the police followed him, lost him a few minutes later. No more signs until he got found sixteen hours later. Somebody did find him faster.” Sara looked around. There were no signs of struggle on the first sight. She would start to look around, but she doubted the man was killed here, there wasn’t enough blood around.   
“This is not the primary crime scene.” Grissom read her mind.   
“No, it isn’t. Any defensive wounds?”  
“He has a lot of blood on his hands.”  
“Can be his, if the killer shoot him and he was still alive, a reflection is to put your hands on the wound, stop the bleeding, stop the pain.”  
“I’ll leave that to you guys t find you.”  
“Sara?”  
“I check the surroundings.” She could see Steve out of the corner of her eyes, talking to a truck driver. He must have found the body.   
She wanted to know what happened to the children, after she asked the officer to take care of them, she hadn’t seen or heard anything of them. Catherine took care of them and Sara was very thankful for that. Cath knew what to say, how to act around children, Sara would feel uneasy, sorry and wouldn’t be a big help. 

“Hey.” Sara smiled when Sofia came in the room. The second look told her something was wrong with the detective.  
“What’s up?”  
“I watched the video.” Sofia sat next to Sara who touched Sofia’s arm slightly.   
“Wanna talk?”  
“No.” The brunette couldn’t blame her for that.   
“Tell me what you found in the desert, I haven’t seen Steve yet.”  
“The father, shot. Three bullets, the first two injured him, fatal but before he could die of the shots, he got a third bullet in the head. Not long before he had died anyway. The killer wanted him to suffer.”  
“Shooting a guy in his crotch isn’t a slow dead, the killer could have taken more time. I consider him as happy for that dead. If he knew what his wife did to the children…he deserved it.”  
“My words. But no reason to let his killer running around free.”  
“No, we’ll catch him. Her. You got anything on the killer?”  
“Both times a .45 was used. Same gun, no hits in CODIS. No DNA was found on the male, the DNA of the…companion of the wife was found on. We found some prints in the room, likely to old ones from clients…”  
“How often and how good do they clean the rooms at Heathers?”  
“Daily. According to Heather they change the sheets after every client, Grissom talked to a cleaner, they vacuum and dust every morning, so all the prints we’ve found are likely from clients of the day. Again Heather helped us out and told us, there were five people in the room, four males, one female – the victim. On the other hand there was the male victim with two clients and a female worker with the three other males inside. We’ve got the prints of the other female worker, we don’t have anything on the clients. And Heather can’t give us their names.”  
“Can’t?” Sofia raised an eyebrow.  
“Her business. She leaks some names to us, she can close it.”  
“Like the last time, when we had to find the guy who almost killed her without her help.”  
“Discretion.”  
“Obstruction of a police investigation.”  
“Now you sound like Brass.”  
“He and Steve both liked Heather as a suspect.”  
“Yeah. Must be a male problem. Women with power are scary.”  
“Am I?” Sofia smiled a bit. Sara took it as a good sign that her lover got some of her humor back. She blinked and grinned.   
“Sure. Especially when you wear black leather and have a whip in your hands.”  
“Is that what you want me to do?”   
“No, not really.” Sara stroked her hand over Sofias. “You know anything about the children?”  
“Child service takes care. Cath talked to them, they refuse to say anything. The way they acted, they’re more scared of us then of their parents. I guess they got told a million bad stories about police and social worker, what will happen to them when they talk to them. Parents know how to scare their own children.”  
“I know.” Sara whispered.  
“I’m sorry.” Sofia had for a second forgotten that Sara a similar background.  
“Don’t be. My parents actually never told me not to talk to the police, they just…it seemed normal that you got bruises, were in hospital every few months and…I thought, that’s how everybody lives.”  
“I don’t know if that’s better.” Sofia stroke Sara’s hand. That was all the comfort they could give each other in the lab. Not much but better than nothing.   
“I’m sorry to interrupt. Sara, may I talk to you?” None of them had seen Lady Heather arriving.   
“Sure.” Slightly embarrassed Sara jumped up. “Uhm…where?”  
“If you want right here.”  
“Where’s Grissom?”  
“Somebody told him it would be wiser to leave the conversation to somebody else. He send me to you.”  
“Oh.”   
“If he’s not allowed to talk to you, you’re still a suspect.” Sofia concluded.  
“Some believe that, yes.”  
“In that case, I’m sorry I’ll stay. Can’t let the CSI be alone with a suspect.”  
“Sofia…” Sara shook her head. It wasn’t necessary that the detective stayed, she knew it as well as Sara did.   
“This is the department, I got checked before I came up here. What am I suppose to do? I came on my own, nobody forced me.” Heather smiled. “If the policy of the police goes so far, the security of your CSI – as a person - must be very important for you.”   
“She’s the most important person in my life.” Sofia admitted flatly. Nobody, no matter how much she was on duty, would make her call Sara not important or deny that she was important to her.   
“In that case you may stay.”  
“Heather, that’s not necessary. If you want to talk to me in private, we can do that. I don’t need protection.”   
“Sara, I know you don’t. But your girlfriend isn’t sure and you should never make her unhappy. Not because of something that isn’t worth it. You will have to write a report, she’ll know it later. If she wants or needs for her own sake to stay with you, let her stay.” Lady Heather sat down.   
Sara threw a meaningful look at Sofia. This wasn’t over for her. Sofia had no right to behave like that. They had to talk about that later. For now Sara had to concentrate on Lady Heather.  
“What would you like to tell me, Lady Heather?”  
“As you can imagine the story about the murder in my house reached several clients. I had one forthcoming today, who was in the room of the murder yesterday. The man asked if there was a police investigation going towards the people who were in the room that day. I told him that might be, but that I won’t give any names free. He said, he doesn’t want the police coming to his home or in his office, he left me this and hopes, it will let him stay out.” Heather got handkerchief out of her handbag and pushed it over to Sara.   
“Paper?” She could take fingerprints from that.  
“As far as I’m aware of it, there’s chewing gum inside for DNA testing.”  
“You know we can’t take it as real evidence, none of us took the sample, anybody could have wrapped the chewing in the paper. Anybody could have chewed the gum.”   
“I know Sara, but you’ll see the fingerprints on the patter will match to the ones you found in the room and the DNA…you smart people can find out if the DNA of the chewing gum belongs to the person with the finger prints. And the prints alone should help you.”  
“It would be so much easier if he comes here and we take the samples.”  
“Not possible.”  
“Do you have security camera at your place, Lady Heather?” Sofia asked.  
A faint smile appeared on Heather’s face. “The detective asked the same yesterday. No we don’t. For the same reason why I can’t give you any names, privacy. My clients don’t want to be on video when they visit us.”  
“Your clients should stand for their actions, like every adult.”  
Lady Heather’s smile got wider when she examined Sofia. “Detective Curtis, right?”  
“Right.”  
“Let me guess, you’ve got a very specific agenda about morality, old-fashioned but not like others narrow-minded, otherwise you couldn’t justify your own feelings towards Sara. Paying money for sex isn’t in your agenda, doing it behind the back of others? Maybe. Having sex with somebody you don’t know while you have a partner at home? Impossible. No love, no sex. You don’t jump into relationships…”  
“I don’t need a profile of my sexual life, thanks.” Sofia stopped her.   
“You won’t have to worry about her, Sara. No matter where she’ll go, whatever offers somebody might make her, she’ll refuse them.”  
“I know.” Sara’s smile was warm when it hits Sofia’s eyes. “She’s special.”  
“So are you.”  
“Makes three special women in one room. Do you have anything else that might help us?”  
“The killer shot the husband.”  
“Yes.” It was all over the news. The murder of the couple, so far they had managed to keep the video in.   
“The killer was in your house, is there anything you can think of, that helps us to identify him?”  
“Gil and me talked about that last night. No. No cameras, no door man – we usually do have one, but not last night…”  
“He was ill?”  
“Yes. Called in in the afternoon. I think the detective, who was there last night, talked to him already. Barry is in hospital with a very heavy flu. He said he didn’t tell anybody he was ill.”  
“Lucky coincidence for the killer.” Sofia mumbled. “I don’t like lucky coincidences.”  
“They can be very inconvenient.” Heather agreed. “My guess is, he came on foot, a car makes too much noise, too much risk somebody would notice him. The house is far away from the neighbors, half a mile. He could have walked through the forest, got in the house.”  
“How can he know where his target is? The rooms are soundproofed. The curtain was in front of the window. Do you have the reservation written down somewhere?”  
“In my computer, the worker have it in their books.”  
“Again a fact that works against you.” Sofia said.   
“I’m used to the feeling things and people are working against me. I got tested for gunshot residue; negative. And I don’t have a motive.”  
“I don’t believe you’re involved in the killings Heather.” Sara said, knowing she wasn’t supposed to make such a statement.   
“I know, Sara. You detective thinks else wise.”  
“It doesn’t matter what I think.”  
“It doesn’t matter to me what you think, detective, that’s right. It does matter to Sara. No matter what it is, it will always matters to her, like you matter to her. You can’t divide private and business in feelings and emotions. You can try but you’ll never win this fight.”  
“You can leave Sara’s and my private relationship out of this room, Lady Heather.”  
“Can you, detective?”  
Before Sofia could say anything Sara’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.   
“No fights, please. And no insults. They won’t help. Sofia, could you get us some coffee, please?” Sara’s eyes were straight on Sofias.   
“Sure.” Sofia said a little bit too cool.  
“Sofia?” Sara held her back.   
“Yes?”  
“Thanks.” And it was more than clear that this ‘thanks’ meant nothing else than ‘I love you’. Sofia smiled a bit. “No problem.”  
“A difficult relationship.” Heather said when they were alone.   
“Like you said, it’s difficult to separate private and business feelings. Sofia…she wants to protect me, she knows, this case got me and I don’t think, I could make it without her. Having her around yesterday night in the house of the victims was hard, it was tempting to let go and let her catch me, when I had to hold on. Having her later in the morning in my arms, saved not only my sleep but also my soul.”  
“It’s called love.”  
“It’s a scary and comforting feeling at the same time.”  
“You’ll get used to it, you’ll lose the scary part of it.”  
“I hope so.”  
“Sara, I know you can’t tell me details about the case, neither could Gil. I know there’s another story to these two killings, something bigger. Tell me, do I do the right thing protecting the privacy of my clients?”   
The big question. Heather was right, Sara couldn’t give her any details, that would cost her her job. Having more or less the offer to get all the information, they didn’t get about the people who were in the house yesterday was tempting.   
“Personally I don’t think one of your regular clients is the killer. Maybe he was at your place before, he certainly has been there when he followed Diane Cornwell. He knew she was there, he had observed her before. Is he client? I don’t think so. Not yesterday. Being a client makes it even more dangerous to get caught or identified. A moral knight? No, I don’t think so. Diane Cornwell weren’t moral knights themselves and I’m nit talking about her visits at your place.”  
“Thanks Sara.”  
“We need to find the killer, because if I’m wrong and he’s a moral knight, there will be more deaths.”  
“We’re in Sin City, he could kill half of the city. Depending on his view of sin.”  
“We’d be both dead.”  
“We would.”  
“But I don’t think his view of morality is the old-fashioned, narrow-minded, middle Ages ones. Otherwise he had killed everybody in the house.”  
“That’s right. He had these two people as a target, your man was an unfortunate bystander.”  
“Very unfortunately.” 

“I think we need to talk.” Sara said when Lady Heather was gone.  
“That doesn’t sound good for me.” Sofia sighed.  
“Sofia, I don’t expect you let your feelings for me out when we’re working, I don’t want you to hold your feelings for me back at any time, but I do expect you to trust me. When Heather asked to talk to me alone and I’m fine with that, there’s no reason why you have to stick around. We all three knew it’s perfect alright if she wants to talk to me in private and there’s no reason why you have to be around…”  
“I screwed up there, I know. I’m sorry.”  
“Honey.” Sara took Sofia in her arms, kissed her cheek. “I know you worry about me, you want to protect me, but there was no reason. Heather is a friend, one you maybe don’t agree with, but she is a friend. I trust her, I know she has nothing to do with this. If Heather would do anything, she’s strong enough to stand up for it.”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it. Just trust me the next time, okay?”  
“Okay.” Sofia’s lips met Saras for a brief moment. “I need to be less protective.”  
“You need to have some faith in your girlfriend’s knowledge of human. I don’t trust many people, the few I do trust, I’m sure about.”  
“She profiled me.”  
“And she was so right.” Sara grinned.  
“Shut up.”  
“I wonder what she says about Steve. I might ask her the next time we meet. For now, we should go back to work, I have to write a report about Heather.”  
“And I’ve a killer to find.” Sofia sighed. “I see you later.”  
“I need to go home later, so I hope, you’ll find your way there.”  
“I will.”  
Sara started to write her report.   
“Got a minute?”  
“Gil, you’re my boss, it’s up to you if I have a minute.” Sara smiled.   
He came in the room and closed the door.   
“Is she alright?” Sara knew he was talking about Heather.   
“She’s fine.”  
“I hope you don’t mind that I sent her to you.”  
“Not at all. She couldn’t really help, but she said, the killer was likely arriving on foot. And a client came forward, gave his fingerprints and DNA. Problem is, we can’t really use it because he gave it to Heather and not to us.”  
“You sent it to DNA?”  
“Yeah.”  
“She doesn’t know what the video is about, she doesn’t know the video exists, but she knows, something is wrong with this case, that it’s not a usual murder case.”  
“Of course she does, she’s not stupid.”  
Grissom smiled softly. “That’s why I sent her to you.”  
“Ecklie is on you because of this?”  
“He’s not happy that I was at the crime scene, would have preferred you to stay there and me to go to the house.”  
“The first time ever he preferred me.” Sara laughed.  
“Mark it in your calendar. But yes, when he figured out Heather and me are close, he told me, I should think about the moral of the lab.”  
“Tell me again why he’s in charge and not you.”  
“I think, you told him why and you got the point very good.” Gil blinked at her and left the room and a laughing Sara. Yes, she could remember the day when she got in Ecklie’s face, he suspended her and wanted Gil to fire her. 

“We’ve got a suspect in custody.” Sofia’s voice entered Sara’s ear.   
“What?” The brunette almost jumped out of her bed. She got home around ten in the morning, now it was after noon and Sofia hadn’t been here yet. This phone call made it obvious why.   
“Steve got him in a few minutes ago, he and Ecklie are questioning him.”  
“Ecklie?”  
“Don’t ask. The Sheriff is here too. Kind of weird. Major is on his way. They want Cath in with Steve and Ecklie.”  
“It’s Grissom’s case.”  
“Or yours.”  
“Guess Ecklie is not keen of having Gil or me around. We’re…not his favorites.”  
“Really?” The word was full of irony.   
“Really. I’m on my way.”  
“The questioning will take some time, don’t hurry.”  
“Save me a spot.”  
“My arms?”  
“I wish, but not appropriate.”  
“See you in a bit.”  
“Later.”   
She grabbed a few things, got dressed and drove as fast as possible to the police station. They had the murder. Or a suspect that was likely to be the murder. And they tried to keep her and Gil out. It was their case. Sara didn’t care about the publicity but she deserved to be called. And Sofia didn’t call her as a police detective, she called her as her girlfriend.   
She found them all in the watching the interrogation. Grissom’s face was stoic, but Sara could see the little bit of annoyance in his eyes. Their eyes met for a second and then Sara shifted her attention to the man behind the mirror. That was supposed to be their killer? Sara had to look again. That was a kid. The boy, hardly a man, didn’t look old enough to order a beer in a bar. Were they sure of that?  
“It’s a kid.” She mumbled when Sofia stood behind her.  
“Yeah. Scary, isn’t it?”  
“If they’re right with him, yes.”  
“They found a .45 in his bag, he got tested for gunshot residue – positive. And he confessed.”  
“Lawyer?”  
“Didn’t want one. Said he did the world a favor.”  
Sara said nothing. After she had seen the video she couldn’t deny that the boy was right.   
“How did you know in which room Diane Cornwell was?” Steve asked.   
“She was always in that room.”  
“How did you know? You knew her well? You were in there with her?”  
“You know what she did? With her kids?”  
“We found something that gave us an idea.”  
“Something like videos?”   
“Maybe.”  
“She must have hundreds of them because she does this since ten years. Get it? Ten years! Nobody ever stopped her.”  
“How do you know?”  
“He was a victim once.” Sara mumbled. “He is in one of the video. I bet. She abused him that was his revenge. If we look at the old videos, we’ll find him as a boy. How old is he?”  
“Seventeen.”  
“I bet he was one of her first victims. Are they related?”  
“I don’t know.”  
“He’s related to her or a neighbor or a relative or neighbor to one of her colleagues. They didn’t pick kids up from the streets, too dangerous, you need to control them. Like their own children. He was in their business.” Sofia moved closer to Sara so that their shoulders were in contact. She wanted to give Sara some comfort.   
“How can you protect somebody like her?” The boy asked.  
“We can’t protect anybody who’s dead.”  
“You’re sorry that she’s dead? You saw what she did?”  
“I did.”  
“Liked it?”  
“Nobody likes that.”  
“Yeah sure. Man, there’re plenty of people out there who goes for this stuff. That’s why they did it. They had clients all over the country, the freaking world.”  
“No reason to kill.” Ecklie said.   
The boy looked at him, long, studied every inch of Ecklie’s face.   
“You look like you’re a client of them, like you like what they did. Do you? Am I right?” Everybody in the room stopped breathing for a second. Was he trying to provoke Ecklie or was that a statement?   
“I think you’ve got a serious problem.” Ecklie said with an annoyed smile.  
“You think? What is if I tell this cop and all the people behind the mirror, I saw you there? If I tell them, you were there, you were a client of them. Did they watch every video? Are they sure they’ve every video? Do they know who are the clients? No, but I do.”  
“You’re talking bullshit.”  
“I could tell them what your favorite was…which child…do they know you like little boys?” The boy smiled, was easy.   
Ecklie jumped up, almost grabbed the boy, Steve had to hold him back.  
“Get him out of there!” The Sheriff ordered. “Now! Sidle, you’re in.”  
“What?”  
“Go in!” Sara caught a glimpse of Grissom’s face and walked to the door. One last breath and she opened the door.   
“What do you want, Sidle?” Ecklie asked her as soon as she was in the room.  
“There’s an important call for you, you need to take immediately.” Her words made it clear that he had no choice. She liked it. She liked to tell him to fuck off even if she had to use more political correct words.   
“What?”  
“It’s very important. Now.”  
“Okay.” Oh, this word meant a lot of more than just ‘okay’. He wasn’t supposed to feel good about it but she did. And she didn’t feel guilty about that.   
“He got kicked out?” The boy laughed and eyed Sara. “So, who are you? Sidle. Got a first name?”  
“Everybody does.” Sara answered dryly.   
His eyebrows rose. “What’s yours?”  
“Why don’t we start with your name?”  
“You know my name.”  
“Don’t bullshit me, you were behind the mirror.”  
“I was, the last five minutes. I missed the beginning. So, why aren’t you polite and tell me your name and I’ll you mine.”  
“Ed.”  
“Hi Ed, I’m Sara.”  
“Are you a fucking social worker?”  
“No.” He must have seen the antipathy when he suggested that occupation.  
“Good.”  
“I’m a CSI.”  
“The boss of the little faggot?”  
“Actually he’s mine.”   
“No wonder this city is fucked with somebody like him in charge.”   
Oh Sara liked this boy. She had thought first it would be difficult to talk to him because of all the pictures she’d get in her head, now it was difficult because she had to stay stoic.   
“Ed, why don’t you tell me what happened?”  
“You like details?”  
“I like to hear whatever you want to tell me.”  
“Are you playing nice cop?”  
“I’m not a cop at all, I told you.”  
“CSI…you found the video?”  
“I did.”  
“Liked it?”  
“So much I almost threw up after I ran out of the room.” Sara knew Ecklie was swearing now. She wasn’t saying what you were supposed to say to a suspect but she wanted to be honest. “It was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen and I’m very happy that I don’t have to watch all the videos I found in the house.”  
“You’re quite straight forward.”  
“I’ve no reason to bullshit you.”  
“You expect the same from me?”  
“I do. Got a problem with that?”  
“You’re ready for the truth or will you run out again?”  
“I’ll try not to.”  
“Can cry on the shoulder of your cop man.”  
“He’s good in comforting me, a real good friend.”  
“Friend? Sure.”  
“He is.” Sara smiled at Steve. “I trust him with my life.”  
“How sweet. I hope you’re all enjoying that behind the mirror.” Ed looked at the mirror. “I think I bring some reality in this scene. Dirty and ugly.”  
“You are in one of the videos.” Sara said.  
“One? Lady, there is nothing like only one.”  
“How old were you? Seven?”  
“Barely.”  
“Are you related to them? The Cornwells?”  
“No, I’m not. And if you want to know if would have killed them if I would be: yes. They deserved to die. Don’t you think?”  
Tricky question. She had no idea how good he was in reading people. Thinking about her troubled childhood and his, even worse, he had to be good. It was the only way you could survive as a child. Knowing what the adult was planning, doing, thinking, before they knew.   
“I don’t think by killing them you got what you wanted.”  
“Why isn’t that so, Sara? Because everybody deserves a second chance?”  
“I bet their second chance was over before you met them.”  
“Damn right.”  
“But telling the police, giving them the evidence they needed to arrest them…”  
“Screw that! A fucking lawyer gets them out, they pay some money and are done.”  
“Child abuse? With a video like the one I’ve seen? Impossible.”  
“If you’d know who’s in this ‘club’, you would think about your words. There are important people in, they make this movies not for useless junkies on the street.”  
Did he want to tell her, he knew about people who bought these movies? That he knew their clients?   
“You can’t get out of that, the press catches a hint and there’s no way to hide.”  
“Bullshit. They’ll get a lovely cell and in a few months they’re out.”  
“Child abusers are likely to get killed or tortured.”  
“Lovely idea. Should do that for the others.”  
“You won’t do anything to anybody.” Steve said. “You’re in here and you’ll stay in here.”  
“You think.”  
“I know.”  
“He’s not that smart.” Ed smiled at Sara.  
“He’s right that nobody will let you out. There won’t be any bail on a double triple degree murder.”  
“Sara, I quite like you, you don’t bullshit me, so I give you some credit. Please give me some too. You know how they got me?”  
“They picked you up…” Sara had no real idea where and how they got Ed.  
“I let them pick me up.”  
“You wanted to get caught?”  
“My work is done. I’m a fast worker.”  
“Wait a moment.” She could see in his eyes there was more. He had a surprise for them. “You killed more than three. You waited ten years, you know more than two names.” A faint smile in Ed’s face told her she was right.  
“Whom? Where?” Steve asked.  
“1-2-2-1-2-0-1-2.”  
“What?”  
“12-21-20-12.”   
“Doomsday.”  
“She is really smart.” Ed applauded once and looked at the mirror. “You guys should make her boss, she’s much better than the little pervert. I’m sure she’ll get me when I say ‘boa’, don’t you, Sara?”  
“You won’t talk about the snake.” Sara said. This boy wanted to play with her, okay, she was up for a challenge.  
“Stop playing with us.” Steve said. “You don’t cooperate, you’ll get the death penalty.”  
“No one here gets out alive.”  
“Is that a thread?”  
“Feel threatened?”  
“What did you do?”  
“Father forgive me I’ve sinned. Time’s ticking.”  
“A bomb?” Steve looked at the mirror. Within a few seconds the Sheriff was in the room.  
“Is there a bomb in this house?” He got in Ed’s face.  
“Father forgive me I try not to do it.”  
“Get the bomb squad! Now!” The Sheriff yelled. “You little…”  
“Wanna hit me? Wouldn’t be the first time. I don’t mind.”  
“Tell me right now what you did.”  
“I won’t tell you anything. I talk to Sara, nobody else. I don’t like talking to people who can’t get me.”  
“Sidle!”   
Sara was the only one who didn’t jump.   
“You’re not talking about snakes when you said ‘boa’ that’s clear.”  
“Would you mind caring about the bomb?” The Sheriff said impatiently.   
“Step by step, Sheriff. He’s not blowing up this building, makes no sense.”  
“He threatened…”  
“Please. If you want me to handle this I need some…silence.” She couldn’t think with this chaos around her, this noise.  
“Five minutes!” The Sheriff left the room.  
“Boa or ‘b-o-a’?”  
Ed smiled. “As I said, a smart woman.”  
“Bank of America.”  
“I like lights.”  
“The Bank of America building close to Fremont Street.”  
“Damn, she is good. You’ve got that right.”  
“We’ll find bodies…no, you never mentioned a body…we’ll find something there. Doomsday. A combination. A safe deposit box. We’ll need the 12-21-20-12 for it.”   
“Send somebody you trust.”  
“Gil.” She didn’t want to say that but it slipped out of her mouth.   
“Sara?” Steve didn’t want to hurry her, but he was nervous about the bomb thing.  
“No one gets out of here alive. It’s a quote. Jim Morrison.”  
“Hippie?”  
“Hippie parents. You never talked about a bomb.”  
“No, I didn’t.” He smiled when he saw the relief on Steve’s face. “Coward.”  
“I quite like my life.”  
“Lucky you.”  
“You’re a smart boy, Ed, you know what they do with child abuser in prison. But you killed. Did you kill more than three people?”  
“What do you think, Sara?”  
“Yes.”  
“Why’s that?”  
“You said, you work fast. Means, you did more than killing these three people. And you said, you let them catch you, means, you were done with what you wanted to do.”  
“Are you available? You are great, Sara.”  
“You didn’t kill anybody in the bank, you’ve got either evidence there about some of the clients of the Cornwells or evidence about the other people you killed…no, it’s about people who are still alive, who you want to be in prison.”  
“She scores point for point.”  
“Will you tell me whom you killed and where or do I have to figure it out?”  
“Like finding bodies?”  
“I don’t like them found by children. That hits them hard.”  
“A soft spot for children.”  
“Wanna play with my weakness.”  
“That would be pitiful for myself. Maybe you missed a hint because of the Sheriff.”  
“Father forgive me I’ve sinned.”  
“Where do they send sinners to?”  
“To hell…time’s ticking…devil’s watch, a rock formation in the desert, around fifty miles in the north of Vegas.” She said it half because she wanted the others to know and half because she was talking to herself. A sign, she had spent too much time with Sofia. No, actually it was impossible to spend too much time with Sofia.   
“Is there anything you don’t know?”  
“A lot of things.”  
“You know why I did it, in a few hours you’ll know what I did to whom, who’s involved, why I let them caught me, what else do you need to know?”  
“Your work is done. Who brought you to the Cornwells when you were a child, Ed?”  
“Don’t worry about that, I took care of everything.”  
“Who, Ed?”  
“It doesn’t matter anymore.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because it’s over.”  
“It will never be over.”  
“You mean the nightmares? I learnt to deal with them. They won’t leave me, but I know a way to leave them.”  
“If you kill yourself they won.”   
“They can’t win, I killed them. They killed my spirit, I killed their body. And they knew who I was. They knew it. They knew why. And they knew, there was no way that there was any mercy for them. Such a satisfying thing, seeing them realizing they’ll die. That begging and promising won’t help. God, I wish I’d have a video of that. I’ll have to use my inner camera, will see it forever. Begging like worms. You ever felt like something like that, Sara?”  
“I never killed.”  
“You’ve got a weapon, never shot somebody?”  
“No.”  
“I reckon it’s not the same anyway. But you’re smart, you know it is different when it’s personal.” He looked at his watch. “I think it’s time for a break.”  
“What makes you think we want a break?” Steve asked.  
“I want a lawyer.” Ed grinned wide.   
Sara had to admit, Ed knew how he got the things he wanted. Demanding a lawyer gave him his break. 

Another four hours later she crawled in her bed again. With the night off and after another conversation with Ed, she was ready for some sleep. Desperate for sleep. Sofia wasn’t there. She hadn’t seen her after Ed demanded a lawyer, probably she was somewhere in the desert or in the Bank Of America. Lonely in her bed she grabbed a pillow and hugged it. Why was she so used to have Sofia around? All the years she could sleep alone, didn’t mind it, now she started whining when there was one day without her lover. Strange.   
Ed had told them more. He had given them names, a lot of names didn’t mean anything to Sara, some did. There was a mayor from a small town not far away from Vegas, a casino owner, some show stars. She had no idea if there was the evidence to confirm all these names but she knew, if the press would get them, all these people would get a hard time.   
How could parents do that to their own children? She didn’t understand it. On the other hand, she never understood how her parents could beat her without a reason. No matter that they weren’t her biological parents, they wanted Sara. How can you abuse somebody you wanted? How can you abuse, torture somebody who is a part of you?   
All the pain. All the bruises. Another concussion. A drive to the hospital, no questions. A bruised shoulder. Clumsy kid, fell in the garden making a slide with some plastic on the grass. She hadn’t been a clumsy child. She never fell without help. She never banged her head on a corner only when somebody pulled her head at the table, the wall. So hard. And then he came again, hit harder this time because she was bad, she didn’t learn, she did it again, she had to be punished and…she could feel it, she could feel the hands around her, he would slap her again, he would hurt her, there was no way she could escape, she could never escape…  
“Sara! Wake up! Sara!”   
“No, please, I didn’t do anything…”  
“Sara! Wake up!”   
“Don’t hurt…”  
“Sara!”   
It took Sara a few seconds until she realized she was in her bed and it were Sofia’s hands that were on her. Sofia’s hands. These hands would never hurt her. These hands were here to take care of her, to comfort her. It was Sofia, no danger.  
“Come on here, Honey, you had a nightmare.” Sofia pulled Sara in her arms, kissed her hair, stroke her back. Her girlfriend. She had heard the whining when she entered the apartment. Within seconds Sofia had been in the bedroom to find Sara, tossing and turning around, crying, fighting, hiding in her dreams. It was a bad dream, that was very clear and so hard it was for Sofia to wake Sara up, it was a very real dream.   
“I’m here with you, Sara. I have you, I take care of you. Nothing can happen to you, I promise.”  
“He was after me. Again. I didn’t do anything.”  
“Ssshhh, it was a dream, Honey, a nightmare. Nobody is after you, you’re safe.” She kissed Sara’s hair, her neck, tried to kiss the tears away, pressed her lips gently on Saras.   
“He wanted to kill me, I had to be punished, I was bad again.”  
“You are never bad, Sara. Never.”  
“He said so…”   
“No, you’re not.” Sofia knew Sara was still half caught in her dream. A dream about her childhood, her father was about to beat her, that’s why Sara was fighting in her dreams, she had tried to escape.   
“He’ll kill me.”  
“He can’t kill you, he’s dead.”  
“He was so alive…”  
“It was a nightmare.”  
“So real.”  
“I know.” Sofia simply hold on to Sara, feeling how she trembled less, how she stopped crying and breathed regularly.   
“Guess there were too many memories the last days.” Sara mumbled.   
“It’s over now.”  
“It isn’t over. It only started. We have the killer, yes, but there’s so much coming now.”  
“Don’t think about it now. You need to rest, you need to think of something else. Give yourself and your head a break.”  
“How can parents do that do their children?”  
“I don’t know, Sara.”  
“Parents are suppose to take care of them.”  
“I know.”  
“They haven’t done anything wrong…”  
“Sara, stop it. Get out of there, you hear me?” Sofia had to get her girlfriend out of the thoughts in her head. Sara was making herself crazy by thinking of the case and projecting it on her life.   
“I’ve to take care of them.”  
“You did. You got the killer, we’ve got the names. They will get help. You did everything you could, you did a good job, you hear me?” Sofia could hear how desperate her voice sounded.   
“I was late…too late…”  
“Sara, please. If you love me, you stop it now. Do you love me?”  
Sara’s eyes, full of tears, desperation and fear found Sofias.  
“I love you.”  
“Then stop. Please.” Sofia kissed Sara. “Please get out of there. Please.”   
“I…Sofia, you’re crying.”   
Was she? She didn’t notice. She was so focused on Sara, on getting Sara out of this circle, she had forgotten to take care of herself.   
“I’m alright, I just worry about you.”  
“I made you cry…”  
“No, you didn’t.”  
“You’re crying.”  
“You could kiss my tears away.” Sofia smiled a bit and closed her eyes when Sara started to kiss her face. At the end when their lips met, Sofia could taste the salt.   
“I’m sorry.” Sara mumbled.  
“Don’t be. I’m sorry to leave you so long alone. I should have been here with you.”  
“You had no choice.”  
“You’re more important than a case.”  
“I don’t think the Sheriff agrees on that.”  
“The Sheriff sent you in the room for Ecklie. He must know you’re great.”  
“He had no other choice. It was Gil and my case, we knew the facts. And he didn’t want Gil inside because of Heather. Stupid bastard.”  
“Talking about Gil, I’ve to be mad at you for saying his name when Ed asked you for a name of somebody you trust. There should have been my name, young lady.” Sofia kissed Sara’s hair and bopped her softly to make it very clear, she was teasing her.   
“You weren’t in the room at the first time, Steve was sitting in the room, there was only Gil left. Did you go there?”  
“Yes, with Cath. Gil isn’t suppose to collect evidence until he had his conversation with the Sheriff about Heather.”  
“That’s not the business of the department.”  
“He can’t work cases she’s involved in. Same like Cath and Sam Braun.”  
“She wasn’t a suspect.”  
“Only for you and Gil, the rest considered her as a suspect.”  
“Well, you were all wrong. Didn’t I tell you to listen to me?” Now Sara was slightly smiling.   
“Next time, I promise. I’ll make up to you for not believing in your female intuition.”  
“Professional.”  
“I love you.”  
“Don’t try to stop me that way, that’s not fair.”  
“I know, but I don’t want to argue with you.”  
“Wanna catch some sleep with me?”  
“That I certainly want. We both have the night off, we should use it for sleep.”  
“You hold me?”  
“I hold you, I take care of you, I chase every nightmare away.”  
“They never come when you’re there. You are the world best nightmare away scarer. They don’t dare to mess up with you.”  
“In that case I’ve to be with you for the rest of my life. Exactly what I planed to do anyway.” Sofia kissed Sara deeply. She would never leave Sara alone again after a case like this. If her girlfriend finished work earlier than she did, Sofia had to make sure Sara wasn’t alone in bed or that Sofia could go home with her. No more nightmares. 

Getting the families together

“Miss Sidle!” Sara literally jumped of her chair, turned and started breathing again.  
“Marie, don’t do that to me.”  
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to know if I can still scare you. I can. Boost for my ego.” The captain laughed with a warm smile on her lips.   
“This ego thing must be a family problem. What are you doing here?”  
“Telling you it’s time to go home, you’re off since half an hour.” Marie walked to Sara and hugged her. “Say in a proper way ‘hello’ to your mother-in-law. I want to be hugged when we meet and we’re not working.”  
“You’re off?”  
“The morning, yes. I thought I invite you, Steve and Sofia for breakfast. My children are about to finish so I wanted to have a look what you’re doing. Of course you were working too.”  
“Sofia wanted to come along when she’s done that’s why I was working. I was waiting for her.” Sara tried to defense herself. Going home on time still felt strange for her. The center of her life had been the lab for years, having something more important than work in her life, Sara was sometimes overtaxed.   
“Now you’ve got her mother coming to you. Come on, Love, let’s get out of here. You spend too much time in here anyway.”  
“Do I?” Sara was amused. Marie sounded like a mother should sound. Sara liked that. It was a nice feeling to have a kind of mother around even when her real mother wasn’t too far away either. Thinking of her reminded Sara of a question she had to ask the captain.  
“Marie?”  
“Yes Dear?”   
“My mother wanted me to ask you a question…”  
“I can’t get your brother out of prison if he’s in there. He probably deserves it for hitting on too many women. Leave in there for a night, the company of men will make him appreciate woman more and maybe he’ll treat them better, with more respect.”  
“No, it’s not about Tony, he’s fine, still scared of you and doesn’t want to come back to Vegas in the next few weeks. Not until he has got a new licence plate.”  
“Coward.”  
“You’d stop him again.”  
“No, it’s not that funny when you do it the second time. I saw him whining around. How is your mother? Are you a good daughter and talk to her on a regular basis? And I don’t mean like once a month.”  
“We talk once a week.”  
“Not that much but I guess for our job and your difficult relationship to her, it’s good. You’re a good girl.”   
“It’s still a little bit weird but it feels nice to know I am talking to my mother and she is interested in how I am, what I do.” Her adoptive mother had necer asked how Sara was, what she had done during the day.   
“Something new?”  
“Yes.”  
“You can also call your mother-in-law, if you need a mother who can be there in a few minutes, you know that, don’t you?”  
“I do.” Sara smiled. Marie told her that a few times.   
“Good. Look, there are my – I don’t want to say perfect but lovely – children.”  
“We should be your perfect children, mother.” Steve said.  
“Well, it’s up to you to act like a perfect child not like you do.”  
“Ouch.” He grinned. “Diner or home?”  
“I’ve got all we need in my car, we can go to your place and then you don’t have to drive after breakfast and can sleep.”  
“Sounds good.” Sofia smiled when she stroke Sara’s hand quickly.   
“Get your hands off the investigator, detective!” Her mother said firmly.  
“We’re off duty, captain.”  
“As long as you’re in the department I don’t want to see any private feelings, do you hear me?”  
“I do hear you, I do understand you and I do not agree, captain. If you don’t want me to have any private feelings to the investigator while we’re in the department, you have to fire me because I won’t do what you want me to do.”  
“I might talk to your captain about that.”  
“Brass will kick you out of his office. He likes ‘Sofie’ too much.” Sara chuckled. “Am I not right? I just say ‘Hey Sofie” and…”  
“Shut up!”   
“Is your boss flirting with you?” Her mother stopped for a moment.  
“No mom, he isn’t. He just likes to take care of me.”  
“I was surprised for a moment. Not that I could blame Jim for that…”  
“Mom, please. Change the topic or talk to yourself while you’re in the car.” Sofia threw her keys to Steve. “You drive the car I’ll go with Sara.”  
“Why am I not surprised?”  
“Because you’re a clever baby bro.” Sofia grinned, jumped next to Sara in the car and kissed her as soon as they had closed the doors.   
“I missed you the whole night.” Sofia whispered in Sara’s ear.  
“Ditto. Jim said he was sorry that he was there and not you, that was quite funny.”  
“So much for him flirting with me. My mom.”  
“She was already thinking how to kill him…hitting on her daughter…”  
“Her daughter who has a lovely girlfriend. Well, only a CSI, but…” Sara’s look let Sofia move away from her, in anticipation of a slap.   
“A CSI is nothing compared to a captain, I know.”  
“Nothing is anything compared to my CSI.” Sofia smiled.   
“Don’t try to get yourself out of the shit.”  
“I’ll make up for it later.”  
“Maybe I’ll go home after breakfast.”  
“Neither Steve nor I will let you go. Don’t waste any power on trying it. You’ll stay with me, if you like it or not and you do like it.”  
“You think.”  
“I know.” Sofia bent over and kissed Sara’s cheek.  
“You’re playing unfair.”  
“And you like it.” Sofia smiled coy and took Sara’s hand. She loved sitting next to her, holding her hand while they were driving around. It was hard not to do that when they were on duty and shared a car for an interview with a suspect. 

“What was it that you are suppose to asked me?” Marie asked when they were sitting around the table. “We never came to this question.”  
“Oh yes, it’s perfect that we’re all here because Karen’s question is also for Steve and Sofia. She asked if you could imagine that we all meet up in Vegas or Los Angeles. She thinks, the families should meet.”  
“Didn’t Anthony’s story scare her?”  
“I think she highly agrees with what you did to him and wants to thank you for that in person. She thinks her son needs a strong and firm hand who’ll teach him some manners.”  
“Must be a problem with sons.”  
“My manners are perfect, nobody – except you mother – ever complained about them.”  
“Your ex-wife.”  
“That’s why she is an ex.”  
Marie shook her head. There was no reason why to talk to her son about that, they would never come to an agreement. “How is her daughter? Not like the son?”  
“No, absolutely not. She’s…boring. Married, pregnant…I like my baby bro, he’s more like me.” Sara grinned.  
“They’re both in love with the bike…oh well, who isn’t?” Sofia sighed. She had taken Steve’s bike for a ride yesterday. Two hours only the bike, the desert and her. A great tour.  
“They’re keen to come to Vegas for a few days, I think Karen’s husband wants to gamble a little bit and wouldn’t mind if we get her of his back.” Sara grinned.  
“I’d be pleased to meet them. They can’t be bad, they’re your family.”  
“Yeah.” Sara smiled. Her family. What a lovely sentence. “They want to meet you and they especially want to see Sofia again.”   
“That would be Anthony, the little Don Juan.”  
“He didn’t try to flirt after the experience in the department.” Sara grinned wide.   
“Of course not, you bitches scared him. It took me two nights to get him ready for the chicks. I’m sure if they come over, Tony and me will hit the chicks again.”  
“Bitches?” Marie eyed Steve so that he shrank on his chair. “Young man, you might be an adult but I’m sure I’m still able to spank your backside. It seems like you need that.”  
“Don’t worry about him, we’ll take care of that.” Sofia smiled. “We’ll take his bike.”  
“You are riding this more than I do and I’m not living more in this apartment than you do.”  
“It’s not my mistake that you spend so many nights with women.”  
“It’s your mistake that they’re not welcome here.”  
“You make your decision for one and she’ll be more than welcome. As long as you fuck everything you see, they’re not welcome.”  
“Language please, Sofia.”  
“I’m sorry but I couldn’t find a better word for that what he’s doing. It’s definitely not making love.”  
“Mind your own business, sis.”  
“I do.”  
“Don’t fight. Please.” Sara got up and walked to the bench. Fights always reminded her of her childhood. Everything there had started with fights, with words that became hands and fists and…  
“Sara.” Steve was behind her, closed his arms around her. “Hey, it’s alright, we’re not fighting.” He pulled her in his arms.   
“I’m sorry I just…I don’t like fights.” Could it be that she was still shaky from the child abuse case? She had to think of Ed a few times a day, she had a nightmare, seeing him in the movie she had watched at Heather’s place. She tried hard to let go, to get her mind off these things but somehow it was there. All the time and sometimes it hit her hard and threw her off the road.   
“This family doesn’t fight.” Sofia came to them, got Sara out of Steve’s arms and pulled her in hers. “There’s no reason and no sense in fights for us, mom is always right. No matter what the issue is.”  
“I’m sorry, I had a stupid flashback…the child case and…I don’t know…I’m…fucked up…”  
“Sara, Honey, you must know, no matter what we throw each other at the head, we love each other, we respect each other and there’ll never be anything like physical violence in this family.” Marie was with them, taking Sara’s hand. “And you’re not fucked up.”  
“Language please, I know.”  
“Screw that. You’re my daughters girlfriend, you’re my daughter-in-law, you can’t be fucked up. We don’t have fuck-ups in our family…”  
“Besides uncle Fred.” Steve said with a grin.  
“He’s a politician, that says everything about him.” Marie grumbled. That man was a part of her family she did not want to talk about. It was bad enough he existed.   
“I haven’t met him, have I?”  
“No, and if you’re a lucky person you will never meet him.” Sofia kissed Sara’s cheek where she saw a single tear. “He wouldn’t agree with our relationship, he’s very old-fashioned, a true old south state American, women belong to a man, have to stay at home their whole life, take care of the house, give birth to a lot children and always agree on what their man says. You can imagine him and mom.”  
“Yes.” Sara had to smile. Oh yes, she could imagine how the captain would talk to this man and how they fight over everything.   
“You haven’t arrested him yet? Is there nothing you can frame on him?”  
“Unfortunately you can’t lock people up for stupidity. Or living in a world that existed two hundered years ago.”  
“I don’t think I want to meet him.”  
“We won’t invite him to our wedding.”  
“Did you make a secret wedding list?”  
“I did. We’ll have a small wedding.”  
“When will you ask me?”  
“About the celebration or if you want to marry me?”  
“Both.”  
“Later. After I finished thinking of it, made all plans and can surprise you with a great party and a dream honeymoon. I was thinking of Mexico, Acapulco or Puerto Vallarta.”  
“Both is right at the ocean, that means I like both.”  
“Wait a moment.” Marie stopped them. “You are thinking of getting married? Is that what you want to tell us?”  
“Don’t get excited mom, I’m only dreaming. There won’t be a wedding this year or next year. We know what happens when you marry too fast.”   
“It ends in a disaster. You’re right, big sis, nothing wrong in marrying lovely Sara but take your time. I’m sure you’ll be a stunning wedding couple in two or three years.”  
“Nobody is asking me.” Sara wondered.   
“I will ask you, Honey, don’t worry. I’ll ask you when the time is right. Or you’ll ask me. Don’t feel being under pressure, we’ve got all the time in the world. The next step will be moving in together.”  
“We can’t kick Steve out then we’ll lose the bike and when you move to me, he’ll keep it too.” Sara grinned.   
“We have to sacrifice our life together for the bike? Why don’t we move in together and buy our own bike? Would be much easier and it’s our. Ready whenever we need it for a long trip.”  
“I don’t like your ideas.” Steve said. “I want you here. Both.”  
“Cute but I don’t want to get dressed all the time when I get some coffee from the kitchen.”  
“Sara, I don’t mind if you’re walking around naked.”  
“I’m not surprised to hear that but I do mind walking around naked and having you around.”  
“They don’t love me.” Steve sighed.   
“Get yourself a girlfriend, one for longer than a night and start your own family.” Marie told him. “You should see every day the benefits of a relationship. Learn from them and use it for your own life.”  
“Mother, I won’t get married again. I made this mistake once, that’s enough. You have to build your hope on Sofia when you’re looking for a wedding…grandchildren.”  
“I won’t get pregnant.” Sara’s words were fast.   
“I might think about that later.” Sofia smiled and kissed Sara. But that was a thought that had even more time than a wedding. Becoming a mom was something that would change her and Sara’s life forever, they had to think about that good and talk about all the changes that they had to make then. 

“I love having you in my arms.” Sofia whispered and kissed Sara’s cheek. The brunette was about to wake up and moved a little bit, finding a new, more comfortable position in Sofia’s arms, holding the blonde tight in her arms.   
“You’re really cute when you’re sleeping, watching you sleep and wake up is one of my all time favorite activities. Seeing you snuggling closer in my arms, feelings your arms around me, holding me tight, then you wrap your leg around mine and…”  
“Shut up and kiss me!” Sara demanded with closed eyes.   
Sofia chuckled and obeyed.   
“How long are you awake?”  
“A couple of minutes.”  
“And you stared at me the whole time?”  
“No, I watch you, I adore you, congratulate myself that you’re my lover and feel like I’m the luckiest woman in the world to be here with you.”  
“I did the same half asleep.” Sara kissed Sofia’s neck. “Can we stay for the rest of the day in bed? I don’t want to go to work today, I want to be in your arms, feel you. We leave this bed, we’ll end up at different crime scene, won’t see each other and even if we’re at the same scene, I can’t be in your arms, can’t hold you, can’t kiss you.”  
“You don’t skip work, you’re a workaholic.”  
“I’m more a Sofiaholic than a workaholic.”  
“Jim and Grissom won’t like that.”  
“They should get themselves a wonderful woman and they’ll understand why I prefer to stay in bed.”  
“I thought Gil has a special woman.”  
“Yes he has. But mine is more special.”  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too, that’s why I want to stay with you.”  
“You know, we get this night behind us and then your family come along, one side of your family because the other one is already here, looking forward to meet the rest.”  
“Yeah, I hope your mother will behave.”  
“She will. There’s no need to scare Tony anymore, he’ll be hiding behind his mom as soon as he sees the captain.”  
“Did she scare your admires when you were young?”  
“She told you about the boy she told not to lie at her and leave to my life because he said, he wasn’t scared and loved me. Whenever she had the chance to meet one of guys who were interested in me, she tried to scare them, dare them. She was awful. The few I was with longer, she was nicer to.”  
“What about the woman in your life?”  
“She loves you.”  
“I’m not talking about me, Steve said there has been a woman before me in your life. Or do you not want to talk about that?”  
“There’s ins’t much to tell. We were together for two years, it didn’t work out. You know our job isn’t easy, not for us, not for the people who live with us. We met when I was an officer, we split because I had no time, worked hard to become a detective. At the end she left me, I couldn’t be mad at her because I had spent too much time with work and when I qualified for my shield as a detective the Sheriff pulled my papers and I ended as a CSI.” Sofia stopped for a few seconds, thinking.   
“I guess the work was another way to withdrawl myself from the relationship. Dan was still on my mind, the way he had hurt me. It was with her like with the two men who were between Dan and her, I wasn’t able to open up, to let them really close to me. I was there, they tried to be a part of my life, I pushed them away as soon as they came closer and when they wanted me to open up, to make them a full part of my life, I rejected and left them. I was not able to have a full relationship with anybody and sometimes…sometimes I’m scared I’ll do the same with you, Sara.” Sofia lowered her head. She didn’t want to hurt Sara, but she also didn’t want to hurt her former lovers. What, if she started to reject Sara? To push her out of her life because she was scared Sara could leave her.   
“Do you have the feeling you’re pushing me away?”  
“No. And I don’t want to push you away, I want you with me, every single second of the day. But what if that changes? I don’t want to hurt you.”  
“I know you don’t want to. There’ll never be a guarantee that a relationship will work forever. We can only try, talk about problems, try to solve them. When you feel like you’re pushing me away, tell me. Maybe we can change something.”  
“If we can’t?”  
“If we can’t we have to let go. What does not mean we have to stop taling to each other. We work together I think none of us wants to leave Vegas and go anywhere else. Even as a blonde, you’re not that stupid, we should make this work.” Sara smirked.  
“What do you mean with I’m not that stupid, Sara Sidle?” Sofia stabbed Sara with her index finger. “I am not stupid at all! Only…only screwed up when it comes to relationships.”  
“You had some bad experiences, no need to say it will be with all your relationships. They had to end, Sofia.”  
“Why?”  
“Because otherwise you hadn’t been free for me and we would both not be here, sharing a bed, kissing and being happy together. If all these bad things hadn’t happened to you, you would be married with Dan, had a few children, no time to be a detctive anymore and if had managed to make it to officer, we wouldn’t pay attention to each other. I know I’m nothing compared to a loving husband and…” The rest of Sara’s sentence went down in a long kiss. Sofia had to stop her lover before she said something too stupid.   
“I am happy with you, I don’t want a husband. Compared to you Dan was a nothing. All I need is to get this fear out of my head I’ll repeat everything and lose you because I’m scared of being hurt. Even when I know you’ll never hurt me.”  
“You better don’t. Like you said, your mom likes me, she’ll kick your ass if you leave me. Don’t make the captain mad.”  
“I try not to.” Sofia snuggled into Sara’s arms. “This will be a topic a few times, I’m afraind.”  
“Well, my childhood is a topic quite often, we had to go through a few things before I met my real parents, you had to handle some hard moments with me, I think, I owe you something for that. As long as we talk about the problems and sorrows that haunts us, we are able to work them out and don’t let them win.”  
“That’s true. I don’t think I ever talked with somebody about them, I never involved them in my feelings, fear.”  
“There you go, a really good reason why it will work out with us, you talk to me, shows me, that you trust me. We trust each other, one of the basics of a relationship.” Sara kissed Sofia’s hair. Her girlfriend, a broken soul like herself, different reasons, different problems, at the end they shared the fact that they both wanted to make their relationship work and the true love they felt for each others. They could find a way to make it, they could fight their demons of the past. They had a huge advantage, they had each others.


End file.
